ingredients:
- Spices to be ground
- 3 cloves garlic (15 g)
- 5 shallots (50 g)
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 cm fresh ginger
- 2 candlenuts
- Whole spices for broth
- 1/2 star anise
- 2 cm length cinnamon stick
- 4 pieces cloves
- 1/4 fresh nutmeg
- 1 whole cardamom
Other ingredients
- 50 g chinese celery (divide into two, chopped finely for condiments and the other half for broth)
- 1 stalk spring onion (same as above)
- 1 tomato (quartered)
- 1 jicama (quartered), can be substituted with carrot
- 2 ltr water (for broth)
- 150 g yellow egg noodles (fresh or dried)
- 150 g rice vermicelli (dried)
- Fried shallot flakes
- Red and white tapioca crackers (fried till fluffy)
- Slices of lime (optional)
directions:
- In a large stock pot, boil water and add star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer
- Grind the spices till smooth using a spice grinder (or pound away with mortar and pestle). In a skillet, heat 1/4 cup of vegetable cooking oil and quickly stir fry the ground spices till turned brown, for about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Add the spices into the stock pot, and throw in tomato, jicama and chicken breasts. Turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 10 minutes or till boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and remove the chicken breast from the broth. Add celery and spring onion to the broth
- Deep fry chicken breast for 5 minutes till the skin turned brown and crunchy. Shred the chicken meat to small pieces or cube them.
- Prepare the egg noodles and vermicelli by blanching them quickly with hot water for 2 - 4 minutes and drain well.
- Remove the tomato, whole spices, jicama, spring onion and celery from the broth before serving.
- To serve, first put cooked egg noodles and vermicelli in a deep dish or bowl. Add chicken bits and chopped celery and spring onions on top. Pour the boiling broth on top of the noodles. Add one tablespoon of sweet soy sauce and one teaspoon of tomato sauce. Sprinkle some shallot flakes and crackers. Serve with green chili dip.
