Chicken and rice soup

Another healthy Asian meal today. Chicken and rice soup, made from scratch. It will take you about 6 hours, but it's worth it and you don't have to pay much attention while it's simmering on the stove. This soup is enough for 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken

• 3 litre water

• 1 onion

• 6 garlic cloves

• 3 dried chilies

• 2 carrots

• fresh ginger

• 2 star anise

• 6 lime leaves

• 2 tsp black peppercorns

• 2 tsp coriander seeds

• 3 tsp salt

• leave celery

• 4 bay leaves

• splash soy sauce

• splash Shaoxing rice wine

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 tsp MSG (optional)

Soup filling:

• 3 more carrots

• sugar snaps

• shitake mushrooms

• spring onions

• fresh coriander

• fresh mint

• bean sprouts

• tomatoes

• fresh red chili peppers

• chili oil

• fresh lime

• 200 gram rise or noodles

1. Start with the broth. Get a large pan and a skillet. Get your onion, garlic and dried chili peppers and sear them in a hot skillet without oil or butter. Give them a nice brown, almost burned sear on all sides. Take them out and put in the large soup pan.

2. Put some oil in the hot skillet and brown your whole chicken on all sides. This will give the soup extra flavour and a pretty colour.

3. Add in all the other ingredients for the stock, together with the whole chicken. Add the cold water and bring to a boil.

4. As soon as the water is boiling, skim off any foam from the top. Once the top is kinda clear, lower the heat and simmer for 4 hours.

5. After 4 hours you can take the chicken out and take the meat off of the bones. The skin and bones go back into the broth, the meat you set aside for later (if you don't do this, the chicken will get too tender and it will fall apart). Simmer the broth for another 2 hours.

6. After a total of 6 hours, strain the stock, throw away all the spices, vegetables and chicken bones. You'll end up with a clear broth.

7. Add the chicken back in with the carrots, shitake and sugarsnaps. You can cook de rise separately and add later, or cook in the broth (I cook it seperate to make sure everything cooks the right amount of time).

Garnish with the coriander, mint, chili, lime and raw bean sprouts, tomatoes and spring onion.

You can add whatever you like!