Savanhdary Vongpoothorn
Kao Bpiak
Handmade Rice Noodles in Thick Chicken Broth
Chicken broth
- 1 whole, free-range, corn-fed chicken (ideal for stock, very tasty), skinned and halved
- 3–4 chicken carcasses, halved (available from poultry shops and some supermarkets, and preferably organic, as more tasty)
- 1 big onion, halved
- 8 thick slices ginger
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons fish sauce
Fill up a stockpot half way with water, and add the chicken, carcasses, onion, ginger and salt.
Add more water, enough to cover the chicken.
Bring to the boil, skim off the surface fat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the whole chicken and place in a bowl.
Let it cool, then remove the meat from the bone. Set aside.
Throw the bones back into the pot.
Add the fish sauce.
Simmer for another 30 minutes. Set aside.
Handmade rice noodles
- 4 cups rice flour
- 2 cups tapioca starch (tapioca starch is always half the amount of rice flour), plus ½ cup extra
- pinch of salt
- mushrooms (Swiss brown)
- zucchini
- fresh green beans
Garnishes:
- coriander and shallots; chopped garlic;
- chilli powder, fried in oil
Cut all veggies into soup-size chunks.
Mix the rice flour, tapioca starch and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add just enough boiling water (must be boiling) to make a dough that is fairly dry, initially.
Use the water cautiously as this dough can easily become soggy!
Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until most of the dry ingredients have been absorbed into the dough.
Allow the dough to cool down a little, then knead it with your hands until it takes on a nice soft (but still dry!) consistency.
If the flour is not sticking to the dough, add a little more boiling water.
Put the dough into a plastic bag to keep moist.
Pour ½ cup of tapioca starch in a small bowl.
Bring out your rolling pin and a big chopping board.
Take a small handful of dough and roll it flat, 3–4 mm thick.
Kao bpiak noodles are fairly hearty, around the same thickness as Shanghai noodles.
As you roll your dough keep sprinkling on tapioca starch so it won’t stick to your board.
Place the flattened dough onto another board, sprinkle with more tapioca starch, and cut it in half.
Place the halves on top of each other after dusting with tapioca, then slice into noodles, about 3–5 mm wide.
Remove onto a platter, sprinkle with more tapioca starch (to prevent noodles from sticking).
Repeat until all the dough is rolled and sliced. Set aside.
Strain enough stock for the number of bowls of soup you’re going to make into a small pot, bring to the boil, and add vegetables.
Traditionally this dish is without vegetables, but I like my veggies; it’s more nutritious.
When cooked, set aside.
Bring water to boil in a medium pot, and add enough noodles to feed however many hungry people you have on hand.
The water should just cover the noodles.
Boil for 30 seconds until cooked.
Strain and place the noodles in soup bowls, add your chicken stock, chicken pieces, garnish and serve.
Salt and pepper to taste.
When the stock meets the noodles it thickens — this is how we like it.
As you eat, it magically thins out again.
serves as many hungry people as you like!