Coconut and Lemongrass Chicken Soup with Cucumber, Pickled Ginger and Sesame Salad
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Coconut and Lemongrass Chicken Soup with Cucumber, Pickled Ginger and Sesame Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
4L cold water
1 whole chicken, size 18
1 bunch lemongrass, mashed and roughly chopped
½ red onion, roughly chopped
The cores of 2 pieces of corn, kernels removed and set aside
1 bunch coriander, roots and stalks roughly chopped
3 long red chilies, roughly chopped
100g ginger, finely sliced
30ml fish sauce
2tblsp sesame oil
2tblsp soy sauce
2 x 400ml tins of coconut milk
The kernels of 2 pieces of corn
¼ bunch shallots (green part only, set aside white part for salad), finely sliced
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2 long red chilies, julienne
½ red onion, finely sliced
Cucumber, Pickled Ginger and Sesame Salad
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest and juice of 1 lime
10g ginger, grated on a microplane or finely grated
1 long red chili, julienne
1 tblsp fish sauce
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp soy sauce
1 pinch coconut sugar
2 cucumbers cut into little wedges
40g pickled ginger, finely sliced
The whites from ¼ bunch shallots, finely sliced
1tblsp white and dark sesame seeds
Method
Chicken Soup
Take a large heavy-based pot on medium heat, and fill with cold water. Add the chook, lemongrass, corn centres, coriander roots, chilli, ginger, fish sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce.
Bring up to a simmer and cook until the chicken becomes soft and starts to fall apart (this will take approx. 1.5-2hrs on a low simmer). After an hour add the coconut milk. The liquid volume should reduce by half. As the chicken starts to cook and breakdown, make sure it’s always covered by the stock. Take the chicken out of the stock, and pick all of the meat off of it. Strain the stock and keep the liquid. This is the base for our soup.
Take a medium-sized bowl and mix the corn kernels, shallots, coriander, chillies, and red onion, as well as all the picked chicken meat. Mix until well combined. Evenly distribute amongst 4 serving bowls and top up with the hot chicken broth. Serve immediately.
Cucumber, pickled ginger and sesame salad method
Take a medium-sized bowl and add the lemon juice, lime juice and zest, ginger, chilli, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Mix until well combined. Add the cucumbers, pickled ginger and shallots and then sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Serve immediately.
Tip: make sure you always keep your chicken frame submerged in the broth while cooking. It helps to use a narrow, deep, high sided pot.
Recipe by Michael Weldon
