Chinese Rice Noodle Soup

The internet is a wonderful tool, and so is blogging. There is so much inspiration around us. This is especially true in the case of foodie blogs. It is so addictive, dangerous even. You may get fixated on some mouth-watering dish created by someone half a world away, and you just have to try it yourself.

I saw a recipe for Chinese noodle broth on Frugal Feeding blog. I could almost smell the warm goodness displayed on my screen. I knew I had to try it.

The recipe I found was ridiculously simple. Just some chicken stock, rice noodles, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and a few herbs. I literally ran to my pantry. I was out of chicken stock. But, I had cut-up chicken in the freezer. Why not whip up a quick stock and then make the soup?

This is an improvised quick soup put together using items from my freezer and pantry. Nothing fancy at all. Chinese dishes seem so complicated, but all it takes are a few main components. I also made a simple chili-vinegar sauce to go with it.

You will need:

For the Chicken Stock:

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Onion – 1 medium
• Carrots – 1 or 2
• Ginger – a 2-in piece
• Garlic – a few cloves
• Green chili – 1
• Chicken (Bone-in pieces preferred) – 1 lb
• Cilantro leaves – a smallish bunch (Frugal Feeding used bay leaves and thyme for his broth, I made do with cilantro. I always freeze some cilantro, to use in curries and soups. I love the flavor!)
• Soy sauce – 1 tsp
• Water – 6-7 cups
• Salt – to taste

For the Rice Noodle Soup:

• Rice noodles – around 150 gm, or use as much as you need.
• Chicken stock

For the Chili-Vinegar Sauce:

• Green chilies – 2 or 3 medium-sized ones
• White vinegar – 2 tbsp (I am pretty sure you need to use something fancy like rice wine vinegar, but white vinegar will work in a pinch.)
• Water – 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce – a dash

How to:

• Heat oil in a large pot.
• Chop up the ginger, garlic, onions and carrots roughly. Add to the pot and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add the chicken, cilantro leaves and a teaspoon or so of soy sauce. Soy sauce is a really strong flavor and you need just a little.
• Add 6-7 cups of water.  Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, close the pot and let it simmer for at least an hour. Skim off the froth that collects on the top once or twice.
• Strain the stock, set the carrot chunks and chicken pieces aside.
• Add the hot stock back to the pot. Add the rice noodles into the hot stock, cover and let it cook. (If your noodles need to be cooked separately, feel free to do so. I used the Maifun thin rice noodles that gets cooked in hot liquid.)
• Meanwhile, slice the green chilies and mix together with the rest of the sauce ingredients in a small dish. The heat of the chilies will flavor the liquid, providing a flavorful garnish.

• To serve, ladle the noodle soup into a bowl. Add a couple of the carrot chunks and some shredded chicken. Garnish with some chilies and add a dash of the vinegar sauce for some heat.
• Eat up, and be happy!

This was the perfect supper for an unusually cold spring day. By the way, what’s with the weather in Texas? Its the end of April and C.O.L.D!!

Do you make soup? Do you improvise on recipes from other sources?

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