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Something light to compensate for five days of overindulgence


In the Sunday Times this morning from the excellent Lucas Hollweg .... eaten for lunch whilst watching the footy.
I think it has a nice taste and the celery/onion combination gives a slightly different spin on this pho-ish soup

Chicken, celery and ginger broth
A simple, warming, cleansing broth with vaguely oriental leanings.

Serves 2

 Ingredients

4cm of fresh ginger, about as wide as a thumb, peeled
½ medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
6 sticks of celery heart, finely shredded lengthways, plus a handful of leaves from inside the core
500ml chicken stock
1 skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 handfuls coriander leaves
½ medium red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

Finely grate half the ginger — you want it to turn into a purée. Cut the remaining ginger into thin discs, then slice these across so they form fine shreds. Cut the shredded celery into 5cm lengths.
Put the ginger in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, dried chilli and shredded celery (but not the leaves). Add the chicken stock and 250ml water and bring to a simmer.
Slip the chicken breast into the simmering liquid, cover with a lid and cook very gently for 15 minutes, until the breast is just cooked through. Remove the chicken and put to one side.
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer again and skim off any scum. Leave it to bubble gently for another 20 minutes until the celery is soft.
Shred the chicken breast and, when the broth is done, stir the bits into the soup. Leave it to warm through for a minute, then add the celery leaves, lemon juice and fish sauce. Turn off the heat and let things stand for a couple of minutes more.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with coriander leaves and fresh chilli.


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