Hanoi Chicken Noodle Soup

Spiced chicken broth flavoured with cinnamon and star anise, with chicken, rice noodles and green beans.

This is a recipe from Rick Steins Far Eastern Odyssey Cookbook, which I tried out for dinner one night this week. It was absolutely delicious, and made a really simple and healthy weekday dinner!

Ingredients: Serves Two

• 2 chicken legs, skin removed.
• 15g ginger  – sliced into rings
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 200g chopped green veg   -I used sugar snap peas.
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 150g dried rice noodles
• 1 chicken stock cube
• light soy sauce
• sesame oil
• 5 spring onions, finely chopped
• handful of mint leaves
• handful of coriander leaves
• red chilli

To Make:

Place the chicken legs in a large wok, along with the ginger, garlic cloves, chilli, star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns, spring onions and stock cube. Cover with water and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and beginning to fall off the bone.

Soak the rice noodles in hot water, according to the packet instructions.

Remove the chicken legs from the broth and shred the meat off the bone, return the meat to the pan, along with the chopped green vegetables. cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the green veg is cooked.

Taste the broth and season with soy sauce. Then add the mint and coriander.

Strain the noodles and divide between two bowls. Ladle over big spoonfuls of the soup mixture. Finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil and a few extra slices of spring onion and red chilli.

Serve and enjoy!