Spicy Chinese noodle soup with chicken and mushrooms

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 600 g water
• 10 g chicken broth, granulated (strong bouillon)
• 2 chicken thighs (upper and lower legs), approx. 300 g
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables, fresh
• 1 bay leaf, dry
• 1 stalk lemongrass, fresh
• 2 cloves
• 1 tsp Szechuan pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 10 g ginger, fresh or frozen
• 2 large shiitake mushrooms
• 4 small dried Mu-Err mushrooms (cloud ear mushrooms)
• 4 small onions, red
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 small chili peppers, green
• 40 g carrot(s)
• 2 Pepper, red, long, mild
• 12 sugar snap peas, fresh
• 30 g pak choi, fresh
• 20 g mung bean sprouts
• 60 g glass noodles, dried
• 2 tbsp palm oil, premium quality
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, dark
• n. B. Mung bean sprouts
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

A recipe from Szechuan cuisine served with white rice. A pick-me-up of the highest order.

Separate the chicken thighs at the joint between the upper and lower legs and rinse with cold water. Wash and chop the soup vegetables. Wash, peel, and thinly slice the ginger crosswise. Defrost frozen goods. Wash the fresh lemongrass, remove the tough stalk at the bottom, discard any brown or wilted leaves, and use only the white to white-green parts. Cut the bottom 10 cm into thin slices. Cut off two approximately 8 cm long pieces from the bottom. Gently crush the bottom half of the pieces with a hammer, leaving the stem intact. Reserve both stems for later. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the chicken stock. Add all ingredients, from the chicken thighs to the ginger, and bring to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the shiitake mushrooms and cloud ears in some of the simmering stock. Wash the small, green chilies, cut them crosswise into thin slices, leaving the seeds on and discarding the stems. Trim both ends of the small onions and garlic cloves, peel them, and roughly chop them. Heat a medium-sized pan, add the palm oil, and let it heat up. First add the onions, then the garlic and chilies, and fry until the onions turn light brown. Deglaze with a little of the simmering stock and add the stock mixture. Wash the carrot, trim both ends, peel it, cut into strips lengthwise (see photo), and cut crosswise into approximately 2 mm thick slices. Cut the strips crosswise into thirds. Remove the stems from the red peppers, wash them, halve them lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the pepper halves crosswise into approximately 1 cm wide pieces. Wash the snow peas, trim both ends, and pull the strings off both sides. Halve larger ones diagonally, leaving smaller ones. Remove the leaves from the bok choy head and cut the white part crosswise into approximately 1 cm wide pieces. Halve the green part lengthwise and cut crosswise into approximately 2 cm wide strips. Keep them separate. Rinse the mung sprouts, shake dry, and set aside in a sieve. Squeeze the broth from the mushrooms and use them to soak the glass noodles. Add a little of the simmering broth, if desired. Cut the shiitake caps and cloud ears into thumbnail-sized pieces. Discard the tough stems. Divide the sesame oil and mung sprouts among the serving bowls. Strain the broth and press out some of the liquid with a tablespoon, but do not strain it. Add a few of the ginger pieces to the broth. Remove the cooled chicken from the bones and set aside. Discard the skin and bones. Strain the soaking broth from the glass noodles and add it to the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the 2 lemongrass pieces and the carrot slices. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, pepperoni, and white bok choy pieces and simmer for 1 minute. Add the snow peas, chicken, and glass noodles and simmer for another 2 minutes. Then add the green bok choy leaves and simmer for 1 minute. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, garnish, and serve hot.