INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse chicken, including heart, neck and giblets. (reserve liver for
another use). Place in a large pot. Add 2 quarts water, or enough to
just cover chicken, and bring to a boil over high heat.  As water is
heating, scorch 1 piece of ginger and the onion pieces  (see note 1
below). Add scorched ginger and onions to soup.  Once water comes to a
boil, skim off foam and reduce heat to low. Add  1 tablespoon fish
sauce and peppercorns; simmer, partially covered,  until the chicken is
cooked, 30 to 40 minutes.  Remove chicken from broth and set aside to
cool; slightly. When cool  enough to handle, remove meat from the
bones, shred coarsely and set  aside; discard bones, giblets, skin and
fatty pieces.  Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and
strain into a  bowl. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate until chilled,
about 2  hours. SKim fat from the surface. (the soup can be prepared
ahead to  this point. Store the broth and chicken in separate covered
containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The broth can be
frozen for up to 1 month.)  Shortly before serving, bring a large pot
of water to a vigorous boil.  Place bean spouts in a sieve or colander
and immerse in boiling water  for 20 to 30 seconds. Rinse with cold
water; set aside to drain.  Bring water back to a boil and drop in rice
noodles. Cook just until  softened but not mushy, 30 seconds to 1
minute. Drain and rinse with  cold water; set aside.  Scorch remaining
piece of ginger, then coarsely chop. Place scorched  ginger and salt in
a mortar and pestle or food processor and work  into a paste. Set
aside.  Place homemade and canned broth in a pot and heat to simmering.
Season with additional fish sauce e, if desired.  Divide noodles among
4 large soup bowls. Distribute bean sprouts over  noodles; top with
chicken and shallots. Ladle hot broth over; add a  dollop of the
reserved ginger paste. Sprinkle with cilantro and rau  ram (or mint).
Serve at once, with small plates of remaining shallots  and herbs, a
small bowl of remaining ginger paste and lime wedges, so  guests can
adjust flavorings as they wish.  NOTE 1 -- To scorch ginger and onion
-- If you have a gas burner, use  tongs to hold ginger and onion pieces
in the flame until charred. If  you have an electric burner, heat a dry
heavy cast-iron skillet over  high heat. Add ginger and onion pieces
and turn until blackened on  all sides.  NOTES : Recipe by Jeffrey
Alford & Naomi Duguid Nutritional info from  Eating Well Mag. 440
calories per serving; 34 grams protein, 8 grams  fat (2 grams saturated
fat), 56 grams carbohydrate; 340 mg sodium; 95  mg. cholesterol; 1 gram
fiber  Recipe by: Eating Well Mag. Jan/Feb 1997  Posted to EAT-LF
Digest by Irene DiGiuseppe <irene@bmd.clis.com> on  Oct 31, 1998,
converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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