Thai chicken noodle soup

Simple, comforting and full of flavour—this is Marion's homemade version of the classic noodle soup you’ll find steaming away at roadside stalls across Thailand.

Credit: Sippakorn Wongthanapa

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 coriander roots, well washed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) Thai soy sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp Thai sweet soy sauce
• 3 tsp white sugar
• 3 star anise
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 600 g thin dried rice noodles
• 2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
• 200 g sliced Asian greens (choy sum, bok choy, pak choy, or Chinese cabbage)
• 100 g bean shoots
• Roughly chopped coriander, to serve
• Finely chopped spring onion, to serve
• Chilli powder, to taste

Instructions

1. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the coriander roots, garlic, peppercorns and salt into a rough paste.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2–3 minutes, turning often, until lightly coloured.
3. Add the soy sauces, sugar, star anise and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Skim the surface to remove any scum.
4. Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes or until just pliable and bendy.
5. Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth and return it to a clean saucepan. Season with fish sauce, adjusting to taste.
6. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook the soaked noodles for about 1 minute or until just tender. Use tongs to transfer the noodles to serving bowls. Keep the noodle cooking water simmering to cook the vegetables.
7. Use a pestle to gently pound the chicken until it separates into strips. Divide the chicken among the serving bowls.
8. Cook the Asian greens and bean shoots in the simmering noodle water for a few seconds until just tender. Drain and add them to the serving bowls.
9. Top each bowl with coriander and spring onion, then ladle over the hot broth. Serve with chilli powder on the side.

Watch how to make this recipe in Episode 6 of Marion Grasby's Flavours Of Heart & Home streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.