Thai cuisine features a range of flavors, textures and colors--elements that must be carefully blended to achieve the perfect balance. A proper Thai meal incorporates all the characteristic flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine--sweet, bitter, sour, salty and hot--so that the palate is always adequately stimulated. This soup, which is usually served in the middle or at the end of a Thai meal, is best made with the freshest ingredients and calls for nam pla, a fish-sauce seasoning that is as commonly used in Thailand as salt and pepper is in America. Look for nam pla and cellophane noodles in the Asian section of local supermarkets or visit ethnic markets in larger cities.
Visit Asian Cuisine on Suite101.com for a Glass Noodle Soup recipe and more ideas for Thai cooking.
RECIPE
Thai Noodle Soup
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients:
- 1 four-pound whole broiler chicken
- 1/2 cup nam pla (Asian fish sauce)
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 white peppercorns, crushed
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 pound cellophane noodles
- 1 small onion, halved and sliced
- 6 leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cut in 4-inch lengths, and julienned
- 24 fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 24 fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced diagonally 1/4-inch thick
- 2 carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced diagonally 1/4-inch thick
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Directions:
- Place the chicken into a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to low; simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and discard the skin and bones, reserving the chicken stock. Cut the chicken into large pieces. Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the soup.
- Prepare the Thai sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the nam pla, garlic, peppercorns, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Cover the sauce and refrigerate it until ready to serve the soup.
- Right before serving the soup, soak the cellophane noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes to soften them. Drain the noodles, discarding the soaking liquid. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Place the noodles in the bottom of a large serving bowl, arrange the chicken pieces on top of the noodles, and add the sliced onion and leeks. Stir the Thai sauce into the simmering chicken stock and ladle the mixture over the chicken and noodles in the serving bowl. Serve the soup immediately topped with parsley, cilantro, cucumber and carrots. Garnish with the lemon and lime wedges.
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