Chicken Sotanghon Soup with Pechay and Carrots

Chicken sotanghon soup works well for a quick family meal because the noodles cook directly in the broth. The key is to add them near the end; left too long, they drink up most of the soup. Use cooked chicken from a previous meal or simmer fresh chicken first.

Ingredients for four bowls

• 250 g cooked shredded chicken
• 100 g dry sotanghon noodles, soaked according to the packet and drained
• 1 carrot, cut into thin strips; 2 cups chopped pechay
• 1 small onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 thumb ginger, 5 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 tablespoon oil, fish sauce or salt to taste, and black pepper

Method

1. Soften onion, garlic and ginger in oil in a soup pot.
2. Add carrot and broth. Simmer until the carrot begins to soften.
3. Add shredded chicken and the drained noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender, using the packet time as a guide.
4. Stir in pechay for the final minute and season the broth to taste.

Serve immediately while the soup is still brothy. If cooking chicken from raw, simmer it until fully cooked at 74°C (165°F) before shredding, and keep raw poultry separate from ready-to-eat vegetables.