Tinola Chicken Soup
Happy first snow day! Right now I am sitting in my robe, watching my fourth hour of New Girl and loving life. On another, more exciting note, I happened upon this recipe flipping through my cookbooks, looking for a soup to make, because I was about to get snowed in for a couple days, so it had to be perfect, and oh it is. The cookbook is called Myers + Chang At Home and the recipe is called Ashley’s Lemony Garlicky Chicken Soup, so naturally it got my attention. it is a play on a traditional Filipino dish, and is so lemony and delicious, you will be slurping the broth from the bowl. If you want a chicken noodle-type soup but more aromatic and garlicky and did I mention the LEMON. It is my favorite combination of flavors in one soup. Okay, enough talking let’s get down to business. For this recipe you need some different vegetables that you might not see in your local grocery store, but do not fear, if you can’t get something, I am sure there is a substitution that is just as amazing.
Let’s get started!
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
6 ounces dried thin rice vermicelli noodles
3 Tbls Canola oil
1 stalk lemongrass (Harris Teeter had it, so i genuinely hope you can find it, if not, no big deal, just add lemon zest from one lemon into your soup)
3 quarts chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
12 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
one 3-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, and 1 Tbls peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbls fish sauce
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 small chayote, summer squash or zucchini
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into small strips, about 1/4 inch thick
1 bunch of watercress( Now, I did not add this, the soup was still great, but if you don’t forget it at the grocery store, I would add it.)
1 lime
Directions:
first, place the noodles in a large bowl, and pour boiling water over them to cover, let sit for 4 minutes until soft, then drain. toss with a tablespoon canola oil to keep the noodles from sticking together and cover with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Set aside.
peel and discard the outer layer of the lemongrass and trim off the top two-thirds of the stalk and the very base of the stalk. finely chop the bottom third of the stalk where the stem is pale and bendable. You should have about 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass.
In a large stock pot, combine the lemongrass, stock, 10 of the garlic cloves, the sliced ginger, lemon juice, and fish sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a medium and simmer for 30 minutes. The smell should be AH-mazing. season with salt and pepper. start with a tablespoon of salt and teaspoon of pepper. if it needs more perking up, add a pinch more salt. Trust yourself, you know what you like, taste as you go! PLEASE! When it is delicious, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the solids and place the broth back on the stove on low to keep warm.
peel the chayote and cut it in half, use a spoon to dig out the pit, and cut each half in half. slice each piece into 1/4-inch half moons, and set aside.
In a wok, or just a large skillet, heat the remaining oil till it shimmers. Thinly slice the remaining garlic and add with the chopped ginger to the wok. stir with a wooden spoon until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the wok. stir until the chicken starts to caramelize, 3-4 minutes. Add the chayote and about 2 cups of chicken stock and simmer until vegetables start to soften and the chicken finishes cooking, about 3-4 minutes.
Finally, divide the rice vermicelli noodles among the bowls, divide the chicken among the bowls. tear up the watercress and add a handful to each bowl. Ladle the remaining broth into the bowls, and right before serving, squeeze the lime wedges into the soup.
eat with chopsticks or a fork, but it’s better with chopsticks, in my opinion.
Enjoy, Sans Filter!
