Chicken and Bamboo Noodle Soup (Dried Bamboo)
6 Servings
0:15 Prep
1:30 Cook
Moderate - You'll be right
This recipe was created in partnership with Aurum Poultry Co.
If I was to have one type of Vietnamese dish for the rest of my life it would have to be Vietnamese noodle soups. A bowl of fragrant broth loaded with noodles, protein and fresh herbs, like pho, bun bo hue, bun rieu or canh bun never fails to hit the spot in both flavour and satisfaction.
Bun mang ga is one such dish with whole chicken – in this case Aurum Poultry Co’s cockerel – carefully segmented into large bite-sized chunks, briefly sautéed in traditional Vietnamese aromatics, then left to simmer with dried bamboo shoots. Noodles and water spinach are added to serve, creating the ultimate bowl of Vietnamese chicken noodle soup.
This noodle dish is typically made with whole duck (bun mang vit) due to its firm texture and gamey taste but cockerel’s firm and tender texture and strong ‘gai’ flavour (deep chicken flavour) makes it an ideal alternative. Pullet chicken is another great option.
In this recipe, bun mang ga is a one-pot wonder with the main flavours of the dish developing in the broth. The traditional Vietnamese aromatics seep into the cockerel which returns the flavour by releasing its natural savoury sweetness into the broth while it gently simmers. Dried bamboo is also a key ingredient in this dish. Its firm and tender texture is similar to that of the cockerel, complimenting when eaten together.
This is a fantastic option when craving a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup and very easy to pull-off on a weeknight. So if this sounds like something you and your family would fancy, grab yourself a cockerel from Aurum poultry Co. and give this recipe a whirl.
Ingredients:
Bamboo:
75g dried bamboo, rehydrated
1 teaspoon salt
2.5-3L water
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 Thai shallots, chopped
½ teaspoon anchovy salt
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
Chicken broth:
4 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
1 bunch spring onions, white ends crushed
1 knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red chilli
1 Aurum Poultry Co. cockerel chicken, chopped into large bite-sized pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon premium fish sauce
1 ½ teaspoon anchovy salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
15g dried shrimp (optional)
4.5L water
Ginger dipping sauce:
85g ginger, peeled and grated or crushed in mortar and pestle
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ tablespoon premium fish sauce
Juice from half a lime
To serve:
500-600g rice vermicelli noodles
1 bunch Water spinach, leaves removed and split (optional) or bean sprouts
1 bunch Vietnamese perilla leaf (tia to)
1 bunch mint
1 bunch spring onions, green tops sliced
1 lime
Vietnamese white pepper
Method:
How to prepare dried bamboo:
1. Soak dried bamboo for one hour or overnight in cold water then rinse well and strain.
2. Tear or cut bamboo shoots into bite-size strands.
3. Add bamboo to a medium pot, cover well with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain. Repeat this step twice with clean water each time.
4. Rinse bamboo under cold water and squeeze out any excess water.
Duncan’s tip: Boiling the bamboo numerous times will remove any underlying bitterness or astringency.
5. In a large stock pot, add oil and sauté spring onion white ends on medium until golden. Add strained bamboo, anchovy salt, sea salt, sugar and MSG and stir fry for 4–5 minutes then remove and set aside.
How to make bun mang ga:
1. In the same stock pot add cooking oil, shallots, ginger, garlic, chilli and saute on medium for 1–2 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add cockerel pieces, carrot, fish sauce, anchovy salt, sea salt, sugar and MSG and sauté for a further 4–5 minutes then add dried shrimp and cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 40 minutes.
3 Add cooked bamboo to the broth and simmer for another 20 minutes.
4. Season broth with anchovy salt, fish sauce, sea salt, MSG and sugar. Let simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Duncan’s tip: Add additional seasoning to your taste and slightly over-season the broth by 15%, once noodles and herbs are added the savouriness will balance-out.
5. Serve with rice vermicelli noodles and garnish with herbs.
How to make ginger dipping sauce:
1. Crush ginger in a mortar and pestle into a fine paste then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Alternatively, if you do not have a mortar and pestle, place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Duncan’s tip: Dip the chicken into the sauce and add a ½ a teaspoon to your bowl of chicken noodle soup.
