Damian King Lee’s Healthy Duck Noodle Soup
Inspired by one of Thailand’s favourite dishes for a celebration, Ped Toon, this healthy duck noodle soup is from a brand new guide to all things noodle, The Noodle Cookbook by Damian King Lee, co-founder of gourmet instant noodle brand, Mr Lee’s.
Little known outside of Asia, Ped Toon is a special occasion dish. You’ll often see it at festivals, with rows of duck soup sellers surrounded by locals perched on plastic chairs, happily slurping their soup. Some sellers add cola to the broth for a little fizz and top it with shredded duck.
See also: Royal Hot Cross Buns for Easter
Serves 2
Cook time: 30 min
See also: Marcus Bawdon’s Grilled Lamb Leg Steaks with Chamomile Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 250g (9oz) duck breast, skinless
- 120g (4¼oz) dried yellow egg noodles, thin or thick, but you can use wheat noodles if you prefer
- Small handful of fresh bean sprouts, or small handful of finely sliced iceberg lettuce
For the broth: - 2 star anise, or a pinch of ground aniseed
- ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tsp ginger paste, or 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger
- 1 tsp garlic paste, or 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
- 900ml (1½ pints) boiling water
For the toppings: - Small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
- 1 spring onion (scallion), finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fried crispy garlic or onions (optional)
See also: Georgina Hayden’s Greek Cypriot Chicken with Orzo
Instructions
- Put all the broth ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan over a medium–high heat and add the duck breast.
- Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Then remove the cooked duck and strain the broth through a fine sieve into a separate saucepan. Set the strained broth and the cooked duck aside.
- Half-fill a small saucepan with boiling water and place over a medium heat. Add the noodles and boil for 2–3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodle.
- To assemble the dish, divide the noodles between two large bowls and top with the bean sprouts or lettuce. Slice the duck and place in the bowls. Reheat the broth, bringing it back to the boil, then pour it all over the noodles. Finally, scatter over the toppings and get stuck in immediately.
