Hot & fragrant sweetcorn egg drop broth
Here’s recipe number 3 in the Pecking Order. It follows our lemon & thyme roast chicken with creamy parmesan beans, and a quinoa chicken salad with coronation crème fraîche. These chickens really do go the distance.
This recipe uses homemade chicken stock and as a result the broth is deeply comforting and absolutely jam-packed with warming, fragrant flavours. Red chilli brings a little heat, and things are cooled off with a zingy coriander sauce at the table.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15-20 mins
This recipes serves: 4 people
Ingredients for broth.
4 tbsp chicken fat
4 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
1-2 red chilli
1-2 stalk lemongrass
2 thumbs ginger
1 - 1.2 l homemade chicken stock
4 portions rice vermicelli
2 cups / 240 g frozen sweetcorn
4 eggs
1 tsp flakey sea salt
Ingredients for zingy green sauce.
100 g coriander
2 limes, juice only
½ tsp sea salt
Soy sauce, to serve
Method.
Finely dice the shallots, finely chop the celery, peel and finely slice the garlic, finely chop the red chilli, peel and finely grate the ginger, and peel and finely chop the lemongrass.
Heat 4 tablespoons of leftover chicken fat in a large saucepan over a low heat and gently fry the diced shallots for 4 minutes, stirring often.
After 4 minutes add the celery, garlic, chilli, ginger, and lemongrass and fry gently for another 6-8 minutes, stirring often.
Meanwhile, quickly make your green sauce by whizzing up the coriander, lime juice and salt in a small blender until smooth. Be sure to use the coriander stalks as well as the leaves.
Once your shallots etc. are soft and translucent, add the chicken stock and bring to a rapid boil.
Meanwhile, boil a full kettle and place your vermicelli noodles in a large mixing bowl. Pour boiling water over your noodles and let these stand for 4 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse under running water.
Once your stock is at a rolling boil add the sweetcorn. Keep the heat high to encourage the stock to come back to the boil.
Crack 4 eggs into a jug and whisk a fork to loosen. After 2-3 minutes, once the sweetcorn is cooked, turn the heat down low, and pour the beaten eggs into the hot broth in a steady stream, stirring the broth constantly to distribute the ‘drop eggs’.
After 30 seconds turn off the heat and add your noodles.
Stir well before serving in warmed bowls, with green sauce and soy sauce at the table.