The other day, I had my mother in-law and my husband's grandparents over for dinner. I made some sotanghon soup and some lumpia and Biko for dessert. I wanted them to have a taste of some Filipino foods. The most popular is our egg roll or lumpia so I decided to make some. At first I wanted to make pansit bihon but then I thought, lumpia and bihon are both dry. So I looked around in my pantry and I found some bean thread noodles, so I decided to make Sotanghon soup.
I remember my mom's sotanghon soup in the Philippines but I haven't tried making it yet. So I'm hoping against hope that I will make the soup good since it will be my first time to make it. I've seen my Mom do it before and I can still remember the taste of it. I know it's just chicken soup and then added with some sotanghon or bean thread noodles.
The secret of this recipe, that makes it smell and taste good is the ginger and the
tanglad or lemon grass stalk. The lemon grass gives that subtle lemony taste and also the aroma. In the Philippines, we usually use this when we cook soups like chicken, beef soup or nilagang baka, in curry chicken, or when cooking chicken with coconut milk. It just taste different when cooking these dishes without the lemongrass. With it, it makes the dish more aromatic.
Anyway, here in the US, you can buy this at Asian stores. They are usually found at the fresh produce section. Just be sure to buy fresh ones, not old ones. When I say fresh, the stalk should be firm, and not pliable when you bend it. the bottom part should be off white in color or light yellow and the top part green. Don't buy those withered ones already or turning brown as these doesn't give off any aroma anymore. You can also order it on Amazon.com. When you don't use it, you can just freeze it, to prolong the freshness. Just wrap it in a plastic cover or aluminum foil. Then take it out before cooking.
Anyway, going back to the dinner, I was so glad they liked the Sotanghon Soup and also the lumpia and biko. Since they liked it, I am sharing this recipe with you. My mother in-law wants it, too and also my husband's grandma, so what better way than to write it here in my foodblog and share it with everybody in just one click rather than writing it one by one in an email, LOL!
SOTANGHON SOUP
Ingredients:
for the broth:
4 pcs. Chicken breasts, with skin and bones on
10 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass, pounded on the base
A small slice of ginger, pounded
2-3 tbsps. Chicken bouillon
Additional ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking oil
Vermicelli bean thread noodles
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
One whole carrot, julienned
2 tbsps. Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions, chopped (for garnish)
PROCEDURE:
Make the chicken broth.
-Boil the 10 cups of water.
-Then put the onions, ginger, and the lemon grass. Simmer for 2 minutes.
-Next, add the chicken breast.
-Season with the chicken bouillon, a little salt and pepper.
-Simmer and cooked until the chiken gets tender or the meat separates from the bones. At least an hour.,
-Once the chicekn is cooked, take out the meat and put it on a plate to cool down a little. When the meat is cool, take out the skin and the bones. And then cut the chicken meat into strips.
-Reserve the broth, it will be used in making the soup. set aside the chicken meat, too.
Cooking the Sotanghon Soup:
-Heat oil in a deep cooking pot.
-Put the garlic and saute it until it becomes golden brown, add the onions and the carrots and saute.
-Then add the chicken strips. Mix well with the veggies.
-Season it with the soy sauce. Mix well and then simmer for a minute.
-Add all the chicken broth that you made.
-Let it boil. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
-Add the dry sotanghon or bean thread noodles. Let the broth soak it in. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the noodle is cooked.
-Serve right away because if it takes long for you to serve it, the noodle will soak up all the broth. Garnish with chopped fresh green onions on top.
TIP:
You can put the noodles when it's almost serving time, so it wouldn't soak up all the broth. You can make the broth ahead and then just heat it up again when it's almost eating time, and then you can add the noodles. The noodles will just cook right away, anyway. Have fun eating! This soupmis especially good during colder months:-)
If you have questions or suggestions, please write it in the comment area, thanks!:-)
