As I always say, the way to make a good soup is first to make a good stock. In my family's restaurant, my mother had prepared several broths in advance. The main one was meat broth and a flavor broth for making flavorful soup like lemongrass chicken or beef soup (bun bo hay ga soup). The pleasant heat of chili, the bright tang of lemongrass, ginger, lemon and all fresh herbs such as mints, basil and cilantro will make the complex savory flavor of this broth simply irresistible. This broth, once mastered, will also be used as the basic stock for making famous Thai chicken-mushroom soup or chicken-coconut soup (Tom Kah Kai). There will be no more unsatisfied craving for Thai tom yum soup or quick Vietnamese bun bo hay ga if plenty of this broth is available in the freezer as a quick starter for these soups.
Ingredients:
12 cups quality homemade chicken stock (as posted on April 12/2012)
Flavoring spices
4 stalks of lemongrass, including leaves, bruised
4 basil stems, bruised
4 mint stems, bruised
1/2 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1/2 inch fresh galangal
4 cloves garlic, mashed
2 hot chilies, bruised
1 lemon, cut into half
3 green onions, cut into 3 inch lengths
Seasoning:
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp salt
In a large stock pot, place all the ingredients and bring to boil; Simmer for 1 hour. Remove and discard the solids. Drain the stock through cheesecloth for a clear broth. Now the stock is ready to make soup.
4 cups of above broth
2 chicken breasts
15 oz can straw mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced white onions
2 tsp tamarind sauce or lemon juice
Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions
In a small stock spot, bring 2 cup of water to boil and add chicken breasts. Simmer for 10 minutes and skim off the residue that rises up to the surface.
Cover and turn the heat off. Let chicken continues to cook in hot water for 30 minutes. Remove and shred.
Add broth, straw mushrooms and white onions to the stock pot; Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tamarind sauce and season with fish sauce, if needed. Add shredded chicken back into the simmering sauce for a few minutes. Ladle soup into a serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.
Simple Vietnamese noodle soup
4 cups of above broth
2 chicken breasts
2 oz each cooked rice noodles
Sate sauce:
3 tbs corn oil
Shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chopped (about 1 tbs each)
1 tsp chili powder
1 hot chili, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Garnish with slice white onions, cilantro and green onions, Vietnamese salad plate
Follow the instructions above to cook chicken breasts. Follow the package instructions to cook the dried rice noodles.
Preparing the sate' sauce: In a nonstick saucepan, heat oil. Add shallots, lemongrass and stir for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 3 more minutes). Add chili powder and tomato paste, stirring until the mixture becomes a red amber color.
Bring broth to a boil and add the sate' sauce into the broth. Season with fish sauce, if needed.
To server: Divide the noodles equally to each serving bowl. Top with shredded chicken and white onions. Pour the hot broth over the chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. Serve with Vietnamese salad plate (bean sprouts, shredded white cabbage, lettuce, mints and basil)
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