Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours

1. Place the chicken pieces into a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the leeks, celery, fennel, onions, turnips, carrots, ginger, garlic, and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Use a large spoon to skim the foam off the top of the soup. Add the black peppercorns, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and let the soup simmer, checking after five minutes and skimming off any additional foam Add the cilantro stems, cover, and simmer for two hours.
     
2. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then add the broccoli. Cook it for two minutes, or until it is fork-tender. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the broccoli and transfer it to a bowl. Bring the water to a boil again. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions and drain well.
     
3. When the soup is done, let it cool. Strain the soup through a large sieve, reserving the carrots to slice and later return to the soup when reheating it prior to serving. Reserve the chicken pieces separately.
     
4. Add the soy sauce to the soup. Put four tablespoons of the soup into a small bowl and add the miso paste and ground ginger. Stir to dissolve the miso and ginger into the soup, and then return the mixture to the pot. Add pepper to taste and stir the soup. If your family likes spice, add some hot sauce to the soup.
     
5. To serve, shred several pieces of the reserved chicken, cut the carrots on the diagonal into 1" (2.5 cm) chunks, and either reheat them separately or add them to the soup. Reheat the broccoli. Reheat the soup until it is very hot. Using tongs, place some noodles into each bowl. Ladle the soup over the noodles. Add some scallions, shredded chicken, cilantro, and sliced red chili to each bowl, or make a buffet of garnishes so everyone can create their own combinations. Serve some hot chili sauce  on the side for anyone who wants the extra kick.

Tip on cleaning leeks

Trim the end off the white part, cut off the dark green part, and discard both. Slice the leek lengthwise and discard the two outermost layers. Slice through another layer or two, open them, and rinse off, checking for sand. If you find any, cut into the next layer and rinse it well. Continue until no sand remains.

Cooking for one to two people

People have often told me that they are overwhelmed by recipes that yield way more food than they could eat alone over several days. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are some freezing instructions:

Buy small plastic containers or freezer bags and divide the dish into the portion size that suits you or the people you will be serving. Remove the con­tainers from the freezer the night before you plan to serve the food and place in the fridge to thaw. If you are making something fresh, like a salad, prepare the full recipe of the dressing but only half of the vegetables. Serve what you need and dress only that portion. Save the remaining dressing for another meal.

Reprinted with permission from The Healthy Jewish Kitchen© 2017 by Paula Shoyer, Sterling Epicure. Photography by Bill Milne.