Best Hanoi Noodle Soup With Chicken Baby Tatsoi And Bok Choy Recipes

HANOI NOODLE SOUP WITH CHICKEN, BABY TATSOI, AND BOK CHOY

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, bring chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, 1/4 cup each of the cilantro and mint leaves, and chicken. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken and allow to cool. Tear each breast into about 6 pieces, discard bones. Strain broth and return to pot over low heat. Add bok choy and simmer 5-10 minutes.
• Soak noodles in hot water until softened, 5-10 minutes. Cook noodles in boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
• Divide noodles among six bowls. Add chicken pieces, scallions, remaining 1/4 cup each mint and cilantro, and tatsoi. Pour hot broth and bok choy over top. Serve with Tuong Ot Toi.

HANOI SPECIAL RICE NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Put the chicken pieces, salt, and the 4 quarts water into a stockpot (about 12-quart capacity) and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and then use a ladle or large, shallow spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the top. Add the onion and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove the breast from the pot and set aside in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to prevent it from drying out. Add the pork bones, squid, and fish sauce to the pot. Raise the heat to high to return to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer gently. Again, skim off any scum. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.
• When the breast has finished soaking, drain the water and set the breast aside. Allow it to cool completely, then shred the meat with your fingers into fine pieces about 1/8 inch wide, pulling it along its natural grain and discarding the bones and skin. Put the chicken shreds in a small container, cover, and refrigerate.
• To rehydrate the dried shrimp, put them in a small saucepan with the 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for 10 minutes, or until slightly soft. Drain the shrimp into a sieve placed over a bowl. Add the cooking liquid to the simmering broth. Let the shrimp cool completely, then put it into a food processor or electric mini-chopper and process to grind to a fine texture. Transfer to a small container, cover, and refrigerate.
• When the broth is ready, use tongs to transfer the pork bones to a large bowl filled with cold water. Let them soak for 5 minutes to prevent them from drying out and turning dark. Drain the pork bones, let cool until they can be handled, and then remove the meat, discarding the bones and any odd bits. Use your fingers to break the meat into pea-sized pieces or tear it into fine shreds. Put in a small container, cover, and refrigerate.
• Position a fine-mesh sieve (or a coarse-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth) over a pot and gently ladle the broth into the sieve. Discard the solids, including the chicken parts. (Th is seems wasteful, but these parts are spent.) Use a ladle to skim as much fat from the top of the broth as you like. (To make this task easier, you can cool the broth, refrigerate overnight, lift off the solidified fat, and then reheat before continuing.) There should be about 3 quarts (12 cups) broth.
• Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat while you are assembling the bowls. At the same time, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, for reheating the noodles. Make sure the chicken, shrimp, pork, egg, and sausage are at room temperature; ready the Vietnamese coriander and pepper for assembling the bowls; and put the shrimp sauce, preserved radish, and chiles on the table.
• Place a portion of the noodles on a large vertical-handle strainer (or mesh sieve) and dunk the noodles in the boiling water. After 5 to 10 seconds, pull the strainer from the water, letting the water drain back into the pot. Empty the noodles into a bowl and repeat with the remaining portions, while proceeding to assemble each bowl as the noodles are reheating and draining. Visually divide up each bowl into quadrants. Cover 1 quadrant with chicken, the next quadrant with egg, and the third one with sausage. If you have less shrimp and pork than the other ingredients, fill the remaining quadrant with half of each; if you have lots of pork, cover the quadrant with it, and put the shrimp in the center. Put some Vietnamese coriander in the middle, and then sprinkle with pepper.
• Raise the heat on the broth and bring to a rolling boil. Do a final taste test, adding more salt, if necessary. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl, distributing the hot liquid evenly to warm all the ingredients. Serve immediately with the fine shrimp sauce, preserved radish, and chiles. Diners should stir in about 1/4 teaspoon shrimp sauce to finish their bowls. The radish and chiles add crunch and heat.

BOK CHOY NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Trim and wash green onions. Chop white parts into small pieces. Reserve green parts whole.
• Peel and sliver ginger. Peel and mince garlic.
• Heat cooking oil in soup pot over medium-high heat.
• When oil is hot add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice powder.
• Saute until aromatics soften, but do not color.
• Add vegetable stock.
• Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Place shiitake pieces in a bowl and spoon some of the hot stock over them. Let sit.
• In a separate pot, bring three quarts of water to the boil.
• Clean baby bok choy and slice each head into two or three pieces, vertically.
• Put baby bok choy in boiling water for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh under cold water.
• Cook noodles in boiling water according to package directions.
• While noodles cook squeeze broth from mushroom pieces and add to stock.
• Chop mushrooms into small pieces and add to stock.
• Slice green onion tops into thin slices diagonally. Reserve.
• To serve: Place 1/4 of noodles in a large bowl. Add 1/4 of bok choy. Ladle in 1/4 of stock. Top with green onions.
• Optional toppings: shredded toasted nori, grated fresh ginger, roasted pork, tofu, poached egg, etc.

BUN THANG (HANOI CHICKEN SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the chicken, ribs and dried shrimp in a large pot and add 12 cups of cold water. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any foam and fat that collect on the surface, turn the chicken over, and add the fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to the pot. Simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken and ribs from the stock and allow them to cool. Add the shallots, 4 of the scallions and the onion to the stock and simmer for 20 minutes more. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and season to taste with more salt if necessary.
• Meanwhile, place the noodles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them stand until very soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Pull the meat away from the cooled chicken and ribs and shred it with your fingers. Discard the skin, gristle and bones, and set the meat aside. Heat the oil in a small skillet set over medium heat and fry the beaten egg until firm. Remove it from the skillet, slice it into very fine strips and set aside.
• When ready to assemble the soup, have 4 very large or 6 smaller soup bowls ready. Divide the noodles among the bowls. Top the noodles with some of the shredded chicken. (You will have some left over.) Divide the rib meat, egg and remaining 2 scallions among the bowls. Garnish each with fried shallots, and serve with bowls of the lettuce, chilies, cilantro and lime wedges on the side.