Chicken Noodle Soup for My Soul
Deluxe pho ga @ Phở Tùng Gà
Hanoi, Vietnam | PC Ravenous Ratha
We are living in strange and new times. Some of us have tapped into our inner Da Vinci or Martha Stewart, unleashing all of the creative juices that have clearly been bottled up for far too long. There also seems to be a miraculous recovery from gluten allergies because former gluten-free people are now showing off their homemade bread and sourdoughs (a true miracle!). Some of us might not be doing so well and that is OK. I hope you have grace and support in your life to help you through this odd period.
I’m falling somewhere in between: I have bouts of superhuman strength, cleaning, organizing, reading, writing, and cooking everything in sight, to the other side of the spectrum with marijuana-fueled days of long naps, too many podcasts, and endless amounts takeout (I’m supporting local, what?). I need comfort from this brave, new world.
So I’m finding comfort in making and eating all of my favourite foods. All the creamy pasta, all the cheese, stews, congee, and any type of noodle dish. I understand eating your emotions is normally a bad thing, but right now I am gleaning all the good I can from the food I eat. What is normal? Is this the new normal?
And time and time again, I find myself making chicken noodle soup, but probably not the chicken noodle soup of your childhood. I mean one with more of an Asian persuasion: Kathiev Saich Moan or Khmer Chicken noodle soup, similar to Pho Ga or Mi Ga. A soup steeped in chicken, toasted spices, charred onion, and served with a toothsome noodle. Sometimes rice, or sometimes wheat or egg noodle. I love it all. I want a bowl like I want a blanket on a cool night, It covers me in warmth and well being.
I guess more people may be familiar with pho ga, or chicken pho. It is lighter than the beef version and over the past few years, I have come to prefer pho ga over pho bo! Especially if it’s with a quail egg - on a cold day, nothing beats the clear, clean broth, with its juicy pieces of chicken, brights bits of cilantro and scallion, and chewy rice noodles. Light, clear and fragrant. I sip sip sip the broth and feel it restoring me.
Pho Ga is the Vietnamese name; the Khmer version is called Kathew Saich Moan, both of which basically translates to chicken noodle soup (though keep in mind that pho refers to the noodle type). No matter the name, or where I am, I can find a home and the familiar in a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup.
Bun Thang Ha Noi at Hanoi Old Quarter Restaurant
Vancouver, Canada | PC Timjaspy
During my last stay in Hanoi (March 2019), I was craving a bowl of Bun Bo Hue for breakfast, and a long, meandering walk in the search of Bun Bo Hue turned up empty - horrors for the hangry, the restaurant was closed. I always have an eye out for food and on the way there, we had spotted a bustling pho ga place as a potential place for Plan B. We circled back. One sip and I knew my soul had called so strongly for this bowl. Something so simple as this bowl of soup has stamped itself in my brain: The grey Hanoi morning, the chaotic warren-like streets and alleyways, the anticipation of a good meal, and the tone of adventure with it all. Then the warm and satisfying feeling of coming home. The soup was translucent, the chicken succulent, and the condiments on the table sparse, as is normal in North Vietnam. Pho is normally served with minimal condiments and you will usually not see hoisin sauce on the table; usually just some greens and herbs, some form of chili, fresh or a sauce, or vinegar. This shop had a homemade chili sauce, limes and thin slices of garlic in vinegar. SO GOOD. I like my bowl really spicy and will ladle in all the spices available.
All over Asia, perhaps even the world, you can find some version of chicken noodle soup. I have traveled to Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Bali and have eaten chicken noodle soup in all of these places. Some were more like a pho ga with pho or rice noodles, but some had wontons or egg or wheat noodles. noodles. I love the variations, as different as the person serving the soup. I believe all countries and cultures have some form of chicken soup, and I’m sure they are all heavenly, but there is a special place in my heart for Asian versions of chicken noodle soup. I love the experience of having a bowl of chicken noodle soup in Asia. It is unlike any other and feels so visceral for me: the chicken carcasses hanging off the cart, the heat of the soup, the appealing sight of the different noodles on offer, tidily organized or sometimes spilling out in a riot. Bowls are stacked high, eagerly waiting for hungry mouths to hover over them. Sometimes there is street or foot traffic speeding or meandering by, or perhaps the press of other people waiting patiently to order if you are in a night market or food centre.
I’ve been making kathew saich moan since I was 15 years old - my broth is 20 years in the making! The consensus: It’s pretty damn good. I love the ritual of it and take solace in the movements of getting my mise en place together and my ingredients in order. I love the hours of patience soup-making requires because it usually also means a few hours with a good book too. It’s become a fairly hands-off and easy thing for me to make, and so rewarding as it all comes together. I have really been concentrating on making a crystal clear soup and recommend rubbing salt on the chicken and parboiling bones for at least 10 minutes then rinsing well before beginning the soup again.
Homemade by me.
Home Sweet Home, Canada | PC Ravenous Ratha
If you are making dinner for someone you love, make kathew saich moan! I love serving this soup for my family and friends. I want to pass on the comfort and the goodness of chicken soup to them. It is a way for me to not only feed their bellies but their souls too. If you want to feed your own soul or the souls of those you love, I recommend the following recipes - and always, always get the best quality chicken you can! I kind of do a combination of Norecipes and Andrea Nguyen’s. I should develop a recipe to share, I know. But until then, check out the recipes below and enjoy! =)
https://www.theravenouscouple.com/2010/09/mi-ga-vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup.html
https://norecipes.com/pho-ga-recipe/
The Queen Andrea NGUYEN’s recipe:
https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/06/chicken_pho_noo.html
- Ratha
