Tender Fragrant Beef Noodle Soup

5 cups (1 ¼ liters) water

1 lb (500 g) fresh rice stick noodles (kway teow or hofun) or 8 oz (250 g) dried rice stick noodles (kway teow or hofun), blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained

8 oz (250 g) fresh bean sprouts

1½ tablespoons Garlic Oil (page 13)

2 sprigs fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) roughly chopped

2 green onions (scallions), finely sliced

2 tablespoons Sweet-sour Chili Dip (page 13)

Stock

1 lb (500 g) oxtail or short ribs

1 lb (500 g) stewing beef

12 cups (3 liters) water

1 onion, cleaned but left unpeeled

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1½ tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons soy sauce

10 cloves garlic, whole

1 small cinnamon stick

1 star anise (see note)

3 fresh coriander (cilantro) roots, crushed

½ Chinese celery root

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 in (2½ cm) galangal or ginger root, grated

1 Combine the Stock ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the meat is very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Add more water if necessary.

2 Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 5 cups (1¼ liters) of water over medium heat. When the water boils, add the noodles, stir and cook 1 minute for fresh, 3 to 4 minutes for dried, or until tender. Drain in a colander.

3 To serve, put a portion of the noodles and bean sprouts into individual soup bowls. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of the Stock and some meat to each bowl. Drizzle some Garlic Oil on top and sprinkle with the coriander leaves and green onions. Serve with the Sweet-sour Chili Dip or slices of red chili.

Star anise is a dark brown, strongly-flavored spice that resembles an eight-pointed star. Its aroma is similar to anise or cinnamon. Store in a tightly-sealed jar in a cool, dry place.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 2 hours

Malaysian Shrimp Noodle Soup

3 tablespoons oil

1 lb (500 g) fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, reserve the heads and shells

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon sugar

8 cups (2 liters) water

2 chicken thighs or drumsticks

5 oz (150 g) dried rice vermicelli (beehoon or mifen), blanched for 2 minutes

8 oz (250 g) fresh yellow wheat noodles (mee) or fettucini

1 cup (2 oz/50 g) bean sprouts, blanched for 2 minutes

8 oz (250 g) water spinach, (see note), blanched for 1 minute

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

3 tablespoons Crispy Fried Shallots (page 13)

Chili Paste

12–15 dried chilies, cut into lengths, soaked to soften, deseeded and drained

2 red finger-length chilies

1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belachan), roasted

5 shallots, peeled

3–4 tablespoons oil

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the shrimp until they are pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and set aside.

2 Add the garlic and stir-fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells and heads, and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes until they change color. Add the sugar and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Then add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

3 While the shrimp stock is simmering, prepare the Chili Paste. Grind the chilies, belachan and shallots in a blender, adding a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning. Heat the oil in a wok over low heat and stir-fry the Chili Paste until the oil separates from the mixture, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with the salt and sugar, and transfer to a serving bowl.

4 Add the chicken to the shrimp stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Remove from the heat. Drain the chicken and transfer to a plate and set aside to cool. Then skin, debone and shred the meat. Set aside. Reserve the shrimp broth.

5 Allow the broth to cool, then strain into a pan. There should be about 6 cups (1½ liters) of shrimp broth. Taste and adjust the seasonings by adding salt, pepper or a touch of sugar. Bring to a boil again before serving.

6 To serve, place a portion of the beehoon, mee, bean sprouts, water spinach, shrimp, chicken and eggs in a deep bowl. Ladle the hot broth over and sprinkle a generous spoonful of Crispy Fried Shallots. Serve immediately with the Chili Paste on the side.

Water spinach, also known as water convolvulus or morning glory, is a leafy green vegetable with crunchy, hollow stems. It is commonly used in Southeast Asian and Chinese cooking. It must be washed thoroughly to remove dirt and sand, and the thick, tough ends of stems removed. If unavailable, substitute normal spinach.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 1½ hours

Duck Noodle Soup

2 lbs (1 kg) dried rice stick noodles (kway teow or hofun), blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained

2 tablespoons Garlic Oil (page 13)

1 lb (500 g) bean sprouts, tails removed and blanched for 1 minute

½ head leafy green lettuce, leaves separated and rinsed

3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

2 sprigs fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) Sweet-sour Chili Dip (page 13) to garnish

Crushed red chilies, to garnish (optional)

Stock

2 whole star anise (see note)

1 small cinnamon stick 1 duckling (about 3–4 lbs/1½–2 kgs), cleaned

10 cups (2½ liters) water

5 fresh coriander (cilantro) roots, crushed

1 in (2½ cm) galangal or ginger, sliced

10 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons rock sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) mushroom soy or dark soy sauce (see note)

¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce

1 tablespoon salt

1 To prepare the Stock, roast the star anise and the cinnamon stick in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Combine the remaining Stock ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium–low, cover and cook the duck until tender, but not falling apart, about 1½ hours. Remove the duck and allow to cool. Strain the stock, discard the solids and return the stock to the pot. Skim any fat from the surface. Keep warm over low heat. Debone the duck and slice the meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2 To serve, place a portion of the noodles into individual soup bowls. Add 6 to 7 pieces duck meat, 1 teaspoon Garlic Oil, bean sprouts and several lettuce leaves. Garnish with the green onions, pepper and coriander leaves. Add 1 cup (250 ml) broth and serve with the Sweet-sour Chili Dip or crushed red chilies.

Mushroom soy sauce is soy sauce that has been infused with the flavor of straw mushrooms

Star anise is a dark brown, strongly-flavored spice that resembles an eight-pointed star. Its aroma is similar to anise or cinnamon. Store in a tightly-sealed jar in a cool, dry place.

Serves 6 to 8
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 mins

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons fish sauce

8 oz (250 g) dried rice stick noodles (kway teow or hofun), blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained

8 oz (250 g) fresh bean sprouts, tails removed

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), roughly chopped

½ cup (1 oz/20 g) Thai basil leaves (optional)

1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Stock

One whole chicken, about 1–1½ kgs (2–3 lbs)

6 cups (1½ liters) Chicken Stock (page 12) or water

1 small cinnamon stick

2 green onions (scallions), cut in half

1 in (2½ cm) fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 To make the Stock, combine the ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 1 hour. When ready to serve, lift the chicken from the pot and leave to cool, then shred the meat. Stir the fish sauce into the Stock.

2 To serve, place some noodles in each soup bowl. Garnish with the shredded chicken, bean sprouts, onion slices, coriander leaves and basil. Add about 1 cup (250 ml) stock to each bowl. Serve each bowl with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour

Spicy Penang Tamarind Laksa

1 lb (500 g) mackerel or red snapper, cleaned

1 in (2½ cm) fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 slices dried tamarind (asam gelugor)

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups (1½ liters) water 2 torch ginger buds (bunga kantan), quartered lengthwise (see note)

5 sprigs laksa leaves (daun kesum, see note)

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

10 oz (300 g) dried laksa noodles or 1 lb (500 g) fresh laksa noodles

Spice Mix

15 dried chilies

2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste (belachan), roasted

2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, thinly sliced

4 red finger-length chilies, deseeded

8 shallots, peeled

Garnishes

1 small cucumber, cut into matchstick

1 cup (7 oz/200 g) fresh pineapple, cut into matchsticks

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 torch ginger bud (bunga kantan), slivered

1 cup (1⅓ oz/40 g) mint leaves

1 red finger-length chili, thinly sliced

1 Place the fish, ginger, tamarind slices and salt in a pan, cover with 1 liter (4 cups) water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and poach the fish for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. When the fish is cool enough to handle, remove from the poaching liquid, debone and set aside. Strain and reserve the fish stock; discard the solids.

2 To make the Spice Mix, first cut the dried chilies into lengths and soak in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Then deseed and drain. Grind all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, adding a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning.

3 Place the Spice Mix in a large pan, add the reserved fish stock, the remaining 500 ml (2 cups) of water, the torch ginger buds, laksa leaves, salt and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the fish and cook for 15 minutes.

4 Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook the dried laksa noodles for 5 to 7 minutes until tender. If using fresh laksa noodles, blanch in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes to revive. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse under running water to remove excess starch. Drain well, then transfer to a serving dish.

5 To serve, place a portion of the noodles in individual serving bowls and ladle the fish broth over. Top with the cucumber, pineapple, shallot, torch ginger slices, mint leaves and chili. Serve with the Shrimp Paste Dip (page 11) on the side.

Torch ginger bud (bunga kantan) is the edible flower bud of the wild ginger plant. It imparts a subtle perfume to foods.

Laksa leaves is a intensely fragrant herb used in laksa dishes. There is no substitute for them.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 45 mins

Thai Glass Noodle Soup

8 oz (250 g) lean ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup (60 ml) water

6 cups (1½ liters) Chicken Stock (page 12) or water

5 oz (150 g) dried bean thread noodles, soaked in water for 20 minutes, drained, and cut into lengths (see note)

4 dried black Chinese mushrooms or wood ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, drained stems removed and thinly sliced

1 cup (2 oz/60 g) chopped Chinese celery with young leaves

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 green onions (scallions), finely sliced

2 sprigs fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped

Crispy Fried Garlic (page 13) for garnishing

1 In a mixing bowl, combine the pork, minced garlic, pepper and ½ teaspoon of the salt and mix well by hand, adding water as required.

2 Heat the Chicken Stock in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it boils, stir in the pork and return the stock to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3 Add the noodles, mushrooms and celery and season with the fish sauce, remaining salt and sugar.

4 Ladle the soup, pork and noodles into individual serving bowls and garnish with the green onions, coriander leaves and Crispy Fried Garlic.

Bean thread noodles, also known as “cellophane” or “glass” noodles, are thin, clear strands made from mung bean starch and water. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes to soften. Available from Asian food stores.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 30 mins + 30 mins soaking
Cooking time: 10 mins