Chicken and Cellophane Noodle Soup

Name: Chicken and Cellophane Noodle Soup
Yield: serves 6 as a light lunch, or 10 to 12 as a starter
Ingredients: 3 quarts (12 cups) chicken stock, homemade or quick version (page 317); 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 3/4-inch chunk yellow rock sugar (about 3/4 ounce); Salt; 4 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted (page 334), trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch wide strips (about 1/3 cup); 1/2 pound cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until pliable, drained, and cut into 6-inch lengths; 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh Vietnamese coriander or cilantro leaves, finely chopped or whole; Black pepper; 2 or 3 Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced (optional)

December 14, 2011

For Vietnamese living abroad, a trip to Saigon would be incomplete without a visit to Ben Thanh Market, a huge maze of fresh food and sundries. Near the center is a food court where vendors hawk popular Viet treats. As you sample their wares, you are apt to strike up conversations with other gluttonous Viet kieu (Vietnamese expats). On one occasion, a man from Texas visiting his family for Tet told me part of his daily routine while in Vietnam included eating mien gà, which was so deliciously light that it allowed him to order more dishes from other vendors. This noodle soup is easy to prepare. Most versions contain shallot, garlic, and chicken giblets, but our family enjoys a simpler preparation that focuses on just a few ingredients, most of which go into the hot stock moments before serving and are then ladled directly into the waiting bowls, with no fancy assembly required. For a nice lunch, present large servings of this soup with a special-event salad (pages 46 to 55). Or, offer it in smaller portions for an elegant beginning to a celebratory meal. This recipe is easily halved.

Recipe notes