Name: Simple chicken pho
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1.5 litres chicken stock; ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes; ½ tsp fennel seeds; 8 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 star anise; 6cm piece ginger sliced; 6 spring onions sliced, greens and whites separated; 1 red chilli split in half lengthways; 750g chicken thighs and drumsticks; 200g flat rice noodles; 2 pak choi shredded; 1 lime juiced to make 2 tbsp; 1 tbsp fish sauce; a few sprigs mint; to serve sriracha

1.5 litres chicken stock
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds
8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
6cm piece ginger
sliced
6 spring onions
sliced, greens and whites separated
1 red chilli
split in half lengthways
750g chicken thighs and drumsticks
200g flat rice noodles
2 pak choi
shredded
1 lime
juiced to make 2 tbsp
1 tbsp fish sauce
a few sprigs mint
to serve sriracha

Method

step 1
Put the chicken stock, spices, ginger, spring onion greens and half the chilli in a large pot.
step 2
Take the skin off the chicken pieces and discard. Add the chicken to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Scoop the chicken out of the pan and cool enough for you to strip from the bone in chunks. Discard the bones. Strain the stock back into a cleaned pan so you can reheat later.
step 3
Cook the noodles following pack instructions, adding the pak choi for the final minute of cooking. Drain and divide between warm bowls.
step 4
Add the lime juice and fish sauce to the stock then drop in the chicken and reheat.
step 5
Spoon the chicken and stock on top of the noodles and pak choi. Finish with mint, the rest of the chilli chopped and the spring onion whites. Serve with some sriracha sauce, if you like.