Fragrant Chicken And Rice Noodle Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (1 5/8 kg) whole chickens
2 white onions, finely sliced
5 cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cardamom pods, crushed
3 star anise
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons crisp-fried shallots
300 g fresh rice noodles
3 spring onions, finely sliced
200 g bean sprouts, rinsed
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
1 bunch vietnamese mint
1 bunch fresh Asian basil
1 bunch coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

Rinse the chicken, place in a large pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to the boil, skimming.
Add the onions, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, sugar and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, remove chicken, carve off breasts, and set aside. Return the chicken to the broth and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
Strain the broth and finely slice the chicken breast and leg meat. Gently reheat the broth with the fish sauce, and 2 tbsp fried shallots.
Cover the noodles with hot water, gently separate using chopsticks, and drain.
Divide the noodles between four deep, warmed soup bowls.
Arrange the chicken meat on top; ladle the hot broth into each bowl, and scatter with remaining fried shallots, spring onions, bean shoots, chilli, mint, basil and coriander. Guests squeeze lime wedges into broth to taste.