Nick’s Cambodian Hot and Sour Soup (Score: 121/150)

This week, the competition hots up (quite literally) with Nick’s very tasty Cambodian Hot and Sour Soup (Somlah Machou Khmer)

Stock:

• 1 whole chicken (3-3 1/2 lbs), cut into 8 pieces with innards removed (use the neck if you have it!)
• 1 whole white onion, quartered
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 green onions
• 2-3 whole star anise
• 1 Tbsp white peppercorns
• 2 sprigs coriander
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (nước mắm, found in any asian market, or the imports aisle of your local supermarket)
• cold water (enough to cover the chicken)

Method:

1. Roast the onion, garlic, and ginger under a broiler until charred, about 10 minutes.
2. Place all ingredients in a stock-pot except the fish sauce, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
3. Reduce to a slow simmer. After 15 minutes, remove from heat, and cool. Remove the chicken and let cool. (The chicken can be used in a soup later.) Return the bones to the pot with the roasted veg and fish sauce and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Remove from heat. Skim as much fat off the top as possible, and strain through cheesecloth.  Let the stock cool to room temperature.
5. Refrigerate overnight. Remove the top layer of fat. You can freeze it in ice cube trays, and then store the stock cubes in sealable plastic bags for use whenever you need it.

Soup Ingredients:

2 stalks of lemongrass (white bulbs only), smashed
60ml fish sauce (Nam Pla)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp galangal, coarsely chopped (or ginger)
2 tsp salt
115g lotus roots cut into 5cm lengths (obtain from Asian Supermarket)
1 medium tomato, sliced into wedges
340g chicken fillets, diced into 3cm cubes
120ml tamarind juice (mix 130ml hot water with 80g tamarind paste, stir and strain)
3 tbsp groundnut oil
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
60g Thai holy basil (or ordinary basil) leaves, coarsely chopped
40g fresh coriander or mint, coarsely chopped
10 quail egs (you can find them canned at your Asian grocer)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored sliced 6mm thick and juilenned
2 to 6 birds’ eye chillies, sliced very thinly

Method:

Combine the chicken stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, galangal and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pineapple, lotus root and tomato, return to a boil then reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Add the tamarind juice then gently stir-in the chicken. Return the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the oil to a small pan and heat over high heat. Use this to fry the garlic until just browned then add to the soup. Now stir-in the basil, mint and coriander. Allow to wilt for 1 minute and take off the heat.

Add the egg and lotus root, stirring it into the soup as it cooks. Serve the soup ladled into warmed soup bowls and garnished with the birds’ eye chillies