Tamarind Chicken Soup with Vermicelli

I will confess. Jamie Oliver made this on TV but his was a bit too ang-mohish; so I added my own ingredients to make it more Asian.

My version turned out very well....





Ingredients:










1 Whole Chicken, about 750grams, skinned and washed clean
2 tablespoons Tamarind
2 Onions (Sliced)
4 cloves Garlic, lightly bruised
4 stalks Lemongrass, remove green part, bruised
3 Red Chilies (sliced thickly, bruised)
4 stalks Coriander (leaves and stem separated, bruise the stem)
1 piece Ginger (2 inches, sliced thickly, bruised)
1 piece Fresh Turmeric (2 inches, sliced thickly, bruised)
2 Servings Vermicelli or Instant Noodles (Boiled and ready to eat)
Salt (optional), to taste
Fish Sauce, to taste
Soya sauce, to taste
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
150mls Coconut milk (thick)

Directions:

a. Sauté onion, garlic, lemongrass, red chili, coriander stem, ginger, fresh turmeric till fragrant in a deep pot. About 3-5 minutes.

b. Place whole chicken, breast side down in pot

c. Flatten chicken with palm, listen for bone cracking

d. Add about 3-4 cups of water or enough to cover chicken three-quarters of the way

e. Place a heavy stone mortar on chicken to keep it flat in the pot. Use a smaller pot lid as a buffer between the mortar and the chicken or wrap the mortar in aluminum foil.

f. Boil on medium flame for up to 90mins.

g. Remove chicken from pot. Be careful as at this point the chicken will literally fall apart.

h. Remove as much of the meat from the carcass and throw away the bones.

i. Shred the meat and keep aside.

j. Strain the soup through a coarse strainer or colander. Press down firmly with a spoon to extract as much of the stock as possible. Discard the residue.

k. Add the coconut milk to the stock. Check salt and flavor. Add as necessary.

l. In a deep soup bowl, place one serving of vermicelli or noodles, a handful of chicken, pour over soup to cover the noodles, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.