Chinese Noodle Broth
This is a wonderful dish inspired by some of the aromatic oriental flavours and dishes I love. This fantastic, steaming bowl of goodness combines soft, plain noodles and an abundance of tiny little aromatic chicken meatballs. These cook in the clear broth with some sliced vegetables and traditional Chinese seasoning ingredients, resulting in an awesome one-bowl feast!
It's so quick and easy to make and is totally delicious.
This recipe serves:
1 fabulously large portion for approx.340kcal (9pp Weightwatcher Propoints)
Or
2 as a starter for approx.170kcal per portion (4pp WeightWatcher Propoints)
You Will Need:
For the Chicken Meatballs:
165g Chicken Breast
3 Spring Onions
1 Clove Garlic
White Pepper
1 Teaspoon Low-Salt Soy Sauce
For the Broth:
One 50g nest Fine Egg Noodles
This is the brand I used. One nest is 158kcal/4pp. Please adjust kcal/pp accordingly if you use a different brand as they vary.
500ml water
4 Mushrooms
White Pepper
1 Tablespoon Low Salt Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Shaoxing Rice Wine
Start by chopping the garlic and spring onions finely in a food processor. Slice the chicken into chunky pieces, add to the blender. Chop until very fine. Add a pinch of white pepper and 1 teaspoon of low-salt soy sauce.
Using a medium frying pan, place the noodles into 500ml boiling water. They only take a couple of minutes to cook so now you need to work fast! Once softened, break up the nest using a fork to separate the noodles. Take the chicken mixture and form into tiny meatballs using a teaspoon measure, then roll by hand. With the water at a rolling boil, drop the meatballs straight into the pan, as you make them. Because they are so tiny, they cook very quickly. (About 6-8 minutes)
While the chicken meatballs are boiling and steaming, slice the mushrooms into the pan and add the soy sauce, white pepper and Shaoxing rice wine. This is a subtle but pungent ingredient that adds so much to this dish. If you don't have any, just add an extra tablespoon of soy sauce. Snip more spring onion and some chives onto the top using scissors. One quick stir and it's ready to serve!
For one generous portion, just pile everything into a large serving bowl.
If dividing between two, you will have to count the meatballs and divide evenly, then remove the noodles from the stock before weighing and halving the portions equally. That way you can be sure that your kcal/pp are accurate.
(I'm a stickler for detail with these things).
Finally, if you like a bit of a kick, dot a tiny amount of hot chilli sauce onto some of the chicken meatballs.
I always try to buy chilli sauce with a fine nozzle for controlled dispensing....otherwise you can ruin a great dish with a big splodge!
Sprinkle with a little black pepper or dried garlic/black pepper blend. For me, these final ingredients turn this dish from pretty fabulous to total perfection.
A work of art in a bowl and a feast for your soul.
Love Janey x
You can follow my blog at slice-of-slim.com
