HOT SOUR TOM YUM

This is a bowl of abundance, hot, sour and full of vitality, with a va va voom from the chilli this bowl of gorgeousness shakes up your mind and soul and restores a glowing sense of well being.  The chicken stock is based on the antibacterial properties of Jewish penicillin soup, which is 25% as affective as taking penicillin, so so good for you.

This is such a quick and easy meal to assemble, if you have all the ingredients ready to go this can be from fridge to table in under 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1 organic free range chicken

1 onion 

4 carrots

1 leek

1 celery stalk

10 whole black pepper corns

FOR THR RAMEN 

Shredded chicken from above

Fresh cold water tiger prawns

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp tom yum paste

2 tsp tamarind

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp sugar

1/2 lime juiced

Udon noodles

Lemongrass finely chopped

3 garlic cloves

Chilli finely sliced

1" ginger finely chopped

I red pepper finely diced

Mushrooms

Broccoli

Asparagus

Spinach raw

Watercress raw

Pinch crushed chillies

Handful coriander

The trick here is to prep all your ingredients ahead of time, this not only saves time cooking the meal but the same ingredients can be thrown into a stir fry or frittata on another day giving you another quick flavour packed dinner in minutes.

Take your chicken and place in a large lidded saucepan or pressure cooker, throw in the whole onion, carrots, leek, celery and peppercorns.  Cover with water and bring to a slow simmer, cook for 1-2 hrs until the meat is falling off the bones.  Strain the stock and leave to one side, once cooled pop in the fridge to chilli, once chilled remove the fat that has set on top.  Remove all the meat from the chicken and store in the fridge.  This prep will also make more quick speedy dinners, like stir fry with noodles or with rice, frittata, coronation chicken sandwiches, chicken pesto spaghetti to name a few ideas.

TO COOK (assemble) THE RAMEN

Cook the noodles in boiling water for three minutes, drain and run under cold water, place each portion in a deep bowl.  Place 4-5 ladles of stock in a pan and bring up to a simmer, add the tom yum, fish sauce, turmeric, tamarind, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, lemon grass, ginger, sugar, lime juice and garlic.  Simmer for a couple of minutes,  add the prawns and cook for 3 minutes.

On top of the noodles place a little shredded chicken, a small handful of spinach and watercress, ladle over the stock and finish off with a sprinkling of red pepper, chillies and coriander.