Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

One 3 1/2 pound chicken, excess fat removed

3 quarts cold water

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2-3 inch piece of ginger (Approx 2-3 oz)

1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste

salt to taste

Garnishes-

1 1/2 loosely packed bean sprouts, rinsed

1 pound thin or medium rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 15mins & drained

2-3 inch piece ginger

pinch of salt

2-3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings

1 cup loosely packed coriander (Cilantro)

1/2 loosely packed Vietnamese coriander (rau ram) or substitute chopped mint

1-2 limes, cut into wedges

Rise the chicken, place in large pot, and cover with water. Add peppercorns. Bring to a boil.

As the water heats, scorch the onion & ginger pieces, either over a gas flame with tongs, or in a dry heavy skillet over high heat. Turn the pieces until they are blackened on all sides, then add to the soup.

Once the water comes to a boil, skim off the foam, lower the heat, and let simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked, about 45minutes, skimming off foam occasionally. If the chicken is not completely covered with water, turn it several times during cooking.

Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and set aside to cool slightly, remove the meat from the bones, and coarsely shred. Discard bones, giblets, and skin.

Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and strain the broth into a bowl. Let cool, then transfer to several containers and refrigerate, covered, for at least three hours.

When the broth has chilled completely, skim off the layer of fat on the surface with a large spoon and reserve it for later use in the soup (Traditionally a little of this fat is dolloped onto the soup when its served) or for another purpose.

About 30min before you wish to serve the soup, remove the broth and shredded chicken from the refrigerator. Place the soup in a pot, add fish sauce, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and let simmer until ready to serve. Taste for seasoning and add fish sauce or salt to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil. Place the bean sprouts in a sieve or colander and blanch them in the water for about 30 seconds. Remove, set aside to drain. Bring the water back to a boil, drop in the rice noodles and cook just until softened but not mushy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.

Using above technique, scorch a piece of ginger. Coarsely chop it, then place in a large mortar, add salt, and pound into a paste. Alternatively, mince the ginger, place it in a bowl, add salt, and use the back of a sturdy spoon to mash the ginger, add a little water, if necessary to make a paste.

To serve, divide the noodles among six large soup bowls, place about ¼ cup bean sprouts in each, then top with the chicken. Add several shallot slices, separated into rings, ladle the hot broth over, and add a dollop of the ginger paste and a dollop of the reserved fat. Sprinkle some coriander & Vietnamese coriander (or mint). Serve at once, with small plates of the remaining shallot slices and herbs, a small bowl of the remaining ginger paste, and lime wedges, so guests can adjust flavorings to taste.

Makes- About 11 cups broth (and 18-20 oz cooked chicken) – Serves 6 as a one dish meal.