FLOWER POT KITCHEN: CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

2 Jul 2013

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

CHICKEN STOCK BROTH FOR RAMEN NOODLES

This is one of those dishes when in it's purest form ie: tom yum or classic ramen it is such a soul cleansing gorgeous bowl of sunshine, I just love love love ramen. What I find even more fascinating is that you need very little additional ingredients, a few shreds of poached chicken, a few chopped spring onions, some herbs & spices and some noodles and you have a sumptuous filling nurturing soul satisfying meal.

Then taking this as your base you can Va Va Voom this dish to your personal taste, below is my additional ingredients, which are determined by whatever mood I am in.

YELLOW BEAN RAMEN

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE STOCK

1 whole free range organic chicken

2 sticks of celery

2 whole carrots

2 onions halved

1 leek halved

2 fresh bay leaves

1 stick of lemon grass bashed

6 kaffir lime leaves

15 whole peppercorns

Pinch of salt

Enough water to cover the chicken

Place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a gentle just simmer and cook for 4 hrs, from time to time skim of any froth. You can speed this cooking time up to just 1 hr, but the benefit of leaving a stock pot to just bubble away all day is a clearer stock and juicer poached chicken.

When the stock is cooked take off the heat and leave to cool, then remove the chicken, this again allows the poached chicken to rest and to absorb back some of the stock while cooling making it the juiciest ever. Strain the stock and season to taste, this is now ready to use. I like to take the legs off the chicken whole and keep for another meal, the rest of the meat I pull of ready to use for this dish and other meals.

FOR THE CHICKEN NOODLE RAMEN

The next ingredient depends on your mood, tom yum is zesty and up lifting, very helpful after a night on the tiles, or if you feel a little run down. The yellow bean is a milder more comforting dish, with the nurturing and healing properties of turmeric, both choices offer the same soul mending meal, the tom yum with a Va Va Voom for the blood and yellow bean with a soul satisfying hug.

FOR THE RAMEN BOWL

(serves 1, just double up for more)

TIP: have all your ingredients ready to go, this is fast food!

(optional) 1-2 tsp of zesty tom yum or mellow yellow bean paste

1/2 tsp turmeric (only if using yellow bean paste)

500ml of poached chicken stock

200ml coconut milk

1 tsp tamarind paste or 3 tsp tamarind water

1 stick lemon grass bruised

1 tsp palm sugar

1/2 lime zested and juiced

1 pack/portion of udon noodles cooked

2 spring onions fine chopped

1 red chilli chopped

1/4 tsp grated ginger

Handful of shredded poached chicken

6 raw prawns de-veined

1 pak choy

Handful of chopped fresh coriander to finish the dish

Bring your stock & coconut milk up to a rolling simmer, add the tom yum or yellow bean paste if using, add the tamarind, palm sugar and a little of the lime juice, taste, you want to balance your dish with a sweet and sour note, adjust accordingly to your taste. Now add the prawns, these will only take a few minutes to cook.

In your ramen bowl place your noodles, chilli, ginger, chicken, pak choy & spring onions, pour over your stock and enjoy, be sure to lick the bowl!

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.