Ingredients :
- 110g (4 oz) dried beanthread noodles
- 15g (1/2 oz) Chinese dried black mushrooms
- 175g (6 oz) Chinese bok choy or Chinese leaves (Peking cabbage)
- 110g (4 oz) boneless chicken breasts, skinned
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or light soy sauce
- 1.2 litres (2 pints) homemade chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped shallots
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Garnish :
- 1 tablespoon groundnut (peanut) oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
Procedure :
- Soak the noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. When soft, drain and cut into 7.5cm (3 in) lengths using scissors or a knife. Set aside.
- Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Remove and discard the stems and cut the caps into thin strips.
- Cut the Chinese greens into 7.5cm (3 in) pieces, wash and drain well.
- In a food processor, mix the chicken with the light soy and fish sauce and finely chop. It should be a thick paste.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts and roll each part into a ball. In a large pot, heat the stock. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and chicken balls. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Then add the shallots, noodles, mushrooms and Chinese greens and continue to simmer gently for another 5 minutes.
- Add the sesame oil and stir.
- Pour into a soup tureen. Prepare the garnish. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot.
- Add the oil, and when it is slightly smoking, add the garlic and stir-fry until brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- Garnish the soup with the browned garlic and spring onions and serve at once.
Serves – 4
