Vietnamese Chicken Soup
Together with rice, soup is a basic item in a Vietnamese meal. This recipe combines chicken, rice noodles, serrano chiles, green beans, onion and bean sprouts into a soup hearty enough to serve alone.
Ingredients
3 qt. chicken stock
1 onion, sliced
8 slices gingerroot
l stalk lemongrass, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1-2 serrano chilies, seeded and sliced
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 lb. green beans
4 carrots, julienned
4 oz. bean sprouts
8 oz. dried rice noodles
Fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam), to taste
Thinly sliced radishes and cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Steps
1. Combine stock, onion, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, and chilies in a stock pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hr.
2. Add chicken, green beans, and carrots to boiling stock; simmer 10 min. Add bean sprouts; cook 5 min. longer.
3. Meanwhile, soak noodles in hot water to soften; drain.
4. For service, place some of noodles into bowl and ladle hot soup on top. Add fish sauce to taste and garnish with radishes and cilantro.