ASIAN CHICKEN BROTH with UDON NOODLES

This broth was adapted from a recipe I found whilst perusing through Who magazine last weekend. I purchase a shameless gossip magazine once every two months or so, as I feel like I am on holiday when I do so. Lo and behold, besides learning about some very sad murders and what celebrities did this past week, I also got a killer recipe out of my reading. This broth is beautifully and full bodied, thanks to the ginger, garlic, two types of soy sauce and star anise, a Chinese spice with a strong taste similar to that of licorice. The recipe called for a whole 1.6 kilo chicken, however I found this meal much easier to make with chicken breast. Just make sure that you remove the chicken from the pan 12 minutes after the broth has started boiling and no later, or you will have tough chicken for dinner. Leave the chicken to sit on a chopping board for 10 minutes to continue cooking slightly before slicing. If you cannot eat wheat, you can substitute udon noodles for vermicelli.

Ingredients

• 500g / 2 free range chicken breasts
• 50g ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 large sticks of celery, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 pieces of star anise 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (keycap manis) 
• 1/2 bunch of coriander, stems and leaves separated
• 2 generous handfuls of green beans, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 270g udon noodles
• 1/4 bunch green shallots, finely sliced 

Cooking 

1. Place the chicken breasts, ginger, garlic, celery, carrot, star anise, two types of soy sauce and the stems of the coriander in a large, deep saucepan. Cover the ingredients with cold water and bring to the boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer. 

2. Once the chicken breasts have been simmering for 12 minutes, remove from the pan and leave to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes before slicing into thin pieces. (This waiting period will give the chicken time to continue cooking out of the pan and to cool down). 

3. After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the broth through a colander or large sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables. Pour the broth back into the saucepan. 

4. Bring the broth back to the boil and add the green beans and udon noodles. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the beans and noodles are cooked. Remove from the heat and add the sliced chicken. Pour into four bowls, sprinkling the shallots and coriander leaves on top if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 50 minutes approx. 

x Emily 

BEEF MASSAMAN NOODLE BOWL

This dish may seem to hot to eat during summer, but it has gone down a treat the last few times I have made it for dinner. The second time I used very ripe zucchini and broccoli which gave the dish some vegetable power. I need to again thank Heidi Swanson, a Californian cook and blogger, for this delicious recipe (the combination of flavours in the broth is one of the tastiest fusions of ingredients I have ever had the pleasure of eating). This dish is a cross between a curry and a soup and is a delightfully filling meal. Heidi makes her noodle bowl with tofu, however my fella demanded some meat. Substitute the 500g beef mince for 350g extra-firm tofu, cut into small pieces.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 1/2 large brown or red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon massaman curry paste
• 270g dried udon noodles
• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into small cubes
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets and stalk cut up into small pieces 
• 1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk
• 2 cups gluten-free vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 heaped tablespoon ground turmeric
• the juice of 1 large lime 
• 1/2 cup green shallots /green onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts

COOKING 

1. Heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and curry paste to the pan and mash the paste until it is evenly combined with the other ingredients. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. (Usually this involves one boiling saucepan of water, placing the udon noodles in the pot and stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft but not mushy). Remove from heat and drain with a colander or large sieve. 

3. Once the paste has been mashed and the garlic and onion are fragrant add the beef mince.  Stir the mince with a large metal spoon, breaking up any lumps that may occur as the beef cooks. Once the beef is brown and is mixed in with the paste, add the zucchini and broccoli and stir for a few minutes to combine and soften the vegetables slightly. Pour the coconut milk, stock, soy sauce and turmeric into the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the broccoli is cooked. 

4. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the beef 'soup' into a large serving bowl. Add the noodles and lime juice and stir well to combine. Serve each noodle bowl topped with green shallots and crushed peanuts. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x Emily