Vietnamese Vermicelli Chicken Soup (Miến Gà)

There are many versions of this Vietnamese chicken soup delicacy.  The easiest way to prepare this soup is to have chicken broth already prepared.  Most Vietnamese people like to make this soup using a free range chicken. However, for me, I do not live close to an Asian market, so I use any chicken that is available to me.  The vegetables that are suitable for this soup are bamboo shoots, dried shitake mushrooms, and dried wood ears.  I like to top this soup with crispy shallots (this option will make this soup more flavorful to serve). Another vegetable to serve on the side is bean sprouts. For easy and healthy soup, this is just one of many versions of Asian chicken soup.

Ingredients:

5 cups chicken broth

1 large chicken leg

5 oz. dried Vermicelli

2 tbs fish sauce

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 small knob of ginger, sliced

Vegetables:

1 dried wood ear soaked in water, shredded

2 dried shitake mushrooms soaked in water, julienned

1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned

Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions

Piece of lime and fresh hot chili

Directions:

In a medium pot, add chicken broth. Add chicken and sliced ginger for 15 to 20 minutes (a white onion, a piece of celery, and a carrot can be added while cooking the chicken). Skim any foam that rises to the surface during cooking.  Remove chicken and drain the stock. Wait for chicken to cool off. Then shred the meat and set aside.

Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 20 minutes, or, if using a different kind of vermicelli, then follow the instructions on the package to prepare the noodles.

Put the drained stock back into the pot. Add the rest of the vegetables and bring to simmer. 

Simmer for 15 minutes and adjust the seasoning with fish sauce, salt, and black pepper to your liking.

To serve:

Place noodles in a serving bowl, and top with chicken, cilantro, and green onions. Ladle the hot broth on top and divide equally the mushrooms and bamboo shoots.  Sprinkle crispy fried shallots on top.

*To make crispy fried shallots:

Slice 3 shallots (about 3/4 to 1 cup), thinly place shallots in a saucepan with 1/2 cup

peanut oil.  Fry them over low-medium heat until brown and crispy.

 Use A slotted spoon to remove shallots from the oil and let them cool off.  The oil can be used later to add flavor to other dishes. The crispy shallots can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for months.