At home, I find my best meals are often the ones created from random leftover ingredients from the fridge and freezer, instead of the "pre-planned" ones where I think of what to make, then write the ingredients down and go shopping for them.
Broth
| 1 | Onion, roughly chopped |
| 1 | Carrot, roughly chopped |
| 4 cm | Ginger, sliced |
| 3 | Star anise |
| 1 | Cinnamon stick |
| ½ | Red chillies, optional |
| 1 tsp | Szechuan peppercorn |
| 1 bunch | Coriander, stalks only, leaves reserved |
| 1 | Chicken, leftover carcass and bones |
| ½ cup | Soy sauce |
| ½ cup | Shaoxing wine, Chinese cooking wine |
| 6 cups | Water |
Soup
| 3 Tbsp | Cornflour |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
| ½ tsp | Black pepper |
| 300 g | Firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes (Main) |
| 400 g | Hokkien noodles, fresh |
| 200 g | Green beans, sliced |
| 1 cup | Edamame beans, podded |
| 2 | Baby bok choy, quartered lengthways |
| 3 | Choy sum, halved lengthways |
Directions
- In a large pot heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, Szechuan peppercorns, chilli (if using) and coriander stalks. Fry for a few minutes until aromatic. Add the chicken carcass and bones and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce and water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes until broth is rich and flavourful. Use a large metal spoon to skim off any scum that comes to the surface while cooking. Strain stock, discarding the bones and vegetables. Bring stock to a gentle simmer.
- Mix cornflour, salt and black pepper together and use to coat tofu. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Fry tofu until until golden all over, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Add noodles, green beans and edamame beans to the stock and cook until noodles are soft and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add bok choy and choy sum and cook for a further minute.
- To serve, divide broth, noodles, vegetables and tofu between 4 bowls and garnish with coriander.
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