Broth with Roast Duck, Pak Choi and Egg Noodles Recipe

(Mi Vit Tim)

Served on its own, this Chinese-inspired dish, mi vit tim, makes a delicious autumn or winter meal. In a Vietnamese household, a bowl of whole fresh or marinated chilies might be presented as a fiery side dish to chew on, but some prefer to slice and scatter them over the soup with a sprinkling of herbs. This recipe can be made with chicken stock and leftover duck meat from a a roasted duck or by roasting a duck, slicing off the breast and thigh meat for the soup, and then using the meaty carcass to make a stock.

Ingredients : Serves 4

15 ml

2

4 cm

15 ml

5 ml

10 ml

175 g

450 g

350 g

1/4 teaspoon

For stock

1

2

2

4 cm

2 stalks

30 ml

15 ml

6

For garnishing

4

1-2

1 bunch

Vegetable oil

Shallots, thinly sliced

Fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced

Soy sauce

Five spice powder

Sugar

Pak choi (bok choy)

Fresh egg noodles

Roast duck, thinly sliced

Sea salt, or to taste

Chicken or duck carcass

Carrots, peeled and quartered

Onions, peeled and quatered

Fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

Lemon grass, chopped

Nuoc mam

Soy sauce

Black peppercorns

Spring onions (scallions), sliced

Red Serrano chilies, seeded and finely sliced

Each of coriander and basil, stalks removed, leaves chopped

• To make the stock, put the chicken or duck carcass into a deep pan. Add all the other stock ingredients and pour in roughly 2.5 liters water. Bring the water to the boil and boil for a few minutes, skim off any foam, then reduce the heat and simmer gently with lid on for 2-3 hours.

• Remove the lid and continue to simmer for a further 30 minutes to reduce the stock. Skim off any fat, season with salt then strain the stock. Measure out 2 liters.

• Heat the oil in a wok and stir in the shallots and ginger. Add the soy sauce, five spice powder, sugar and stock. Bring to boil. Season with a little salt, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, cut the pak choi diagonally into wide strips and blanch in boiling water to soften them.
  Drain and refresh under cold running water to prevent them cooking any further. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add the fresh noodles. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain well.

• Separate the noodles into four soup bowls, lay some of the pak choi and sliced duck over them, and then ladle over generous amounts of simmering broth. Garnish with the spring onions, chilies and herbs.

• Serve immediately.

Tips :

If you can't find fresh egg noodles, you can use dried instead. Soak them in lukewarm water for 20 minutes, then cook, one portion at a time, in a sieve lowered into the boiling water. Use a chopstick to untangle them as they soften.