It’s officially winter, finally. I know that I’m in Southern California which has a very mild winter, but it does get chilly here too, even though our only snow is on the top of the mountains. So I’m craving some hot soup.
After leaving my noodles series for quite a while, like the whole quarter of this year, I think this might be an appropriate time to continue the series. Thai people eat many different kinds of chicken noodles, starting from clear broth to a dark-colored broth, to TomYum broth and even curry broth like Khao Soi.
In the winter I just want plain clear broth. Do you remember my last episode of Thai noodles, Guay Tiew Moo? The soup for these chicken noodles will be easier than that one, believe it or not. Also this noodle version is not going to have as many items as Guay Tiew Moo.
So this time you won’t need to recruit as many diners as when you were making the full-spread pork noodles; it’s okay to make these chicken noodles for just two people for a cozy night in. So if you haven’t done so since the end of the Guay Tiew Moo party, it’s time to return the neighbor’s kids that you had borrowed. (Or, even better, return your own brats to them and keep theirs!)
Let’s start then.
Ingredients for the broth (for two):
Chicken breast 1 piece
Chicken drumstick 2 pieces
Cilantro root 1 root
Garlic 4 cloves
White peppercorn 1 tablespoon
Onion 1 bulb (This is just to make the soup taste sweet naturally and add flavor. You can also use daikon root)
(Optional) Ginger root 5 slices
(Optional) Goji berries 1 tablespoon
(Optional) Sweet radish or diakon root, preserved 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspooon
Crystal sugar 3 pieces, or about a teaspoon
Water 8 – 10 cups
Ingredients for the noodles:
Bean sprouts, about 2-3 cups
Noodles of your choice, as much or as little as you want
Accompaniments: (If you don’t understand these please go back and read the Episode II Everything Else Beyond Noodles. There will be an explanation and pictures.
Fried garlic in oil (If you don’t know how to make this, look in Episode II)
Cilantro and green onion, chopped up
Tung Chai
Fish sauce
Granulated sugar
Limes, cut in wedges (shown in this post how to cut a lime)
Cracked roasted peanuts (I use a food processor or coffee grinder to crush them, but you can use a mortar)
Dried red chili flakes
Red jalapeño in vinegar
White pepper
Method:
1) Put water in the pot and add the cilantro root, smashed garlic, peppercorns and onion (cut in quarters), and bring to a boil over the high heat.
2) Add the chicken breast and drumsticks to the pot, lowering the heat to medium. If some foam appears on the top, scoop it out. Boil the chicken breast until done, using a fork to pierce through the breast to see the level of doneness.
3) Take only the breast part out of the pot and let it cool.
Then use a fork to shred the meat.
Leave the drumsticks in the pot and continue to simmer so the meat is tender and will fall off the bones.
4) Boil another pot of water to cook the vegetables and noodles. Wait until the water reaches a boil, then cook the bean sprouts separately, usually less than a minute,
remove, put the bean sprouts in the bowl.
and then do the noodles.
5) For salad: (Guay Tiew Gai Hang) Toss the noodles with the fried garlic oil right away to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Warm the shredded chicken up in the soup pot that is still simmering,
Then add them to the bowl.
Add the drumstick and accompaniments.
For soup: (Guay Tiew Gai Nam) After adding the shredded chicken and the drumstick, then add the soup to an individual serving bowl. Add the accompaniments.
For a low carb option: (Guay Tiew Gai Gao Lao) Don’t bother with the noodles, just use more bean sprouts. Add the shredded chicken, the chicken drumstick (only if you have some left) and the accompaniments. You can have the Gao Lao style (no noodles) with or without the broth.
This is the prequel to Thanksgiving 😉 We are starting our poultry executions early, so the chicken won’t have a chance to tell the turkey to flee!
So impressive and looks so delicious and good. Wow! Love the photos and that’s one juicy/succulent looking chicken. We’re coming over! 😉 Thanks for sharing this classic recipe. Saab!!
Reblogged this on MrMilitantNegro™.
Yummie and warming on this super cold day.
Finally a good recipe for my favorite breakfast!!! My mom use to make this for me as a little girl and when we visited Thailand this was my staple dish. Thank you for your blog. You have the same taste as my mother who has now passed and your blog helps me reminder the flavors I need to incorporate into my favorite dishes when attempting to cook her style. She was from Thonburi. chok di!
I’m glad. Most Thai people are using the same method and ingredients. My Thai recipes here are not my own creation. I just do what I have been taught to do so, it’s pretty close to what they serve in Thailand minus the chili.
The biggest problem is the language. Thai people don’t give their recipes in English for the most part. That actually ruined our culinary heritage more than helping.
The none-Thai trying to re-created the dish without any clue and proudly published their recipes thinking they’ve got it pretty good but they normally don’t. Unfortunately, those people are the one that has so many followers and the most traffics to where they publish the recipes and of course, spread the wrong recipes even further.
That’s one of the main reason why I create this blog and hope that it would be a source for people to come to when they want an authentic Thai recipes.
I’m really happy when I can help you and others found the Thai recipes you’re looking looking for 🙂 Happy Valentine’s.
Hi
Thank you for such an interesting series about noodles.
I really enjoy reading About the history of food and ingredients.
I adore your blog and witty writing. It’s always a fantastic and informative read with beautiful pics.
Do you mind if I ask your opinion here?
I’m going to make chicken green curry with boiled rice. Some egg fried too.
also making a veg stir fry with a little red curry paste ( no coconut to keep things lighter) I’m thinking about adding peanut butter for an easy satay style
Does that sound like it would work? I’m not sure. Is there such a thing even?!.
If it’s made you recoil in horror, feel free to suggest what I can do to all the veg I got today for it.
I have –
Broccoli, red pepper, baby kale, carrots, sweet potato, spinach asparagus.
Maybe others. I can’t remember now, it’s almost 3 am.
What I’m hoping for is a contrasting but easy to do dish to go with the green chicken curry ( chronic illness makes cooking really difficult for me. I struggle with stirring and chopping etc. quite a punishment for a person who was a passionate and obsessive cook since 8 years old)
Please could you also suggest a simple plain noodle side dish that will complement the above?
I have dried rice sticks and egg noodles.
Would really appreciate it 🙂 x
Many thanks
I would do the green curry with chicken and broccoli or chicken with kale and carrots. This is my choice but you can pick one or two vegetables that you like. Then I will use the rice noodles. If you have the one that called Kanom Jeen (see picture here http://www.highheelgourmet.com/2014/05/09/rice-noodles-salad-southern-curry-sauce-kanom-jeen-nam-ya-tai/), that will be the best. If not go with the rice noodles.
Then I will suggest boil egg instead of fried egg.
The rest of the vegetable, you can keep it for the next meal. You can use the red curry you have with my new post (not posting yet but working on it and aim to post today), Kaeng Pa recipe. It’s the curry with water base and a lot of vegetable in the soup.
I can feel for you. If I can’t cook, I will be very very upset too.
Let me know if anything else I can do to help.
Aww Thank you so much for reply!
I didn’t see in time,
But I didn’t use the peanut butter either lol
I made huge pot of curry with green beans aubergines and courgettes. I got fresh Thai sweet basil too
I stir fried some veg as the side Dis with chestnut mushrooms etc
Was all totally fab
Shared out with a friend and my family who all Thai food addicts and wait months for to be able to make them some.
I will make what you said above next time.
I want to do your thai salmon next !! ❤️
Oh that’s my favorite recipe too. So simple and healthy just make sure you don’t make it on the date night 😉