Aromatic Chicken Soup Recipe

Aromatic Chicken Soup Recipe

1 liter chicken stock

2 lemongrass stems, trimmed, chopped

2.5 cm piece ginger, sliced

3 Asian (red) eschalots*, chopped

2 long red chilies, bruised

2 kaffir lime leaves*

200 g skinless chicken breast or thigh fillets

¼ cup (60 ml) lime (calamansi) juice

¼ cup (60 ml) Thai fish sauce

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Small handful of snow peas, very thinly sliced

½ red capsicum, very thinly sliced

½ bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked

Method:

Place the chicken stock, lemongrass, ginger, eschalot, chili and kaffir lime leaves in a saucepan, then bring to the boil.  Add the chicken and poach for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to cool slightly in the broth.  When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken and strain the broth, discarding solids.  Return the stock to the saucepan.  Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Add the lime juice and fish sauce to the stock and return to the boil.  Add the shredded chicken and cook for a couple of minutes to reheat.  Add the scallions, snow peas and capsicum and allow the soup to return to the boil.  Ladle into deep bowls and sprinkle with coriander.  Serve immediately.

*Asian (red) eschalots and kaffir lime leaves are available from Asian food shops and selected greengrocers.