Mr Sinfuls Food Blog

I'll eat pretty well anything. The one thing I have tried that I didn't like to the point it made me retch was Florence Fennel. Maybe it was the way it was prepared but the braised celery texture combined with an overpowering aniseed flavour that numbed my tongue was just too hard to get down. Perhaps I'll give it another try when I get the opportunity.

I tell you this to set the scene for what you might come across on this blog. Anything vaguely edible.

I'm going to kick off with a recipe for what I am planning to prepare this evening. Noodle soup.

Preparing the stock
I cooked Molesey Fried Chicken on Saturday and, as I usually do, I started with a whole chicken and jointed it out. I don't know whether it is my imagination but the collection of joints I manage to get from a small chicken seem much better value than packs of ready jointed chicken and I can make sure the skin is not ripped to pieces. After removing drumsticks, thighs, wings and breast I am left with a carcass which still has a little meat, some skin and all the body bones. I chop this up into managable bits to make my soup stock.

Put it in a heavy pan. No water at this stage. Cover it and put it on a very low heat. The fat will start to come out of it and juices that hit the bottom of the pan will brown. Don't panic. The aim is to get a moderately brown crust on the bottom of the pan. Give it a stir and leave it for a bit longer. It looks like the pan will never be the same again but when you get the water in the browned juices will lift off. The nature of the juices will be changed and the flavour of your finished stock will be more roast chicken than boiled.


Throw in a onion and a couple of cloves of garlic. You could peel and chop them. I don't bother. If there is celery or other veg in the bottom of the fridge that need using they can go in too. Cover again and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and leave for an hour or until the onion colapses when squashed.

While it is still hot drain off the juice. Leave the fat (schmaltz) on the top. If you have more than about a pint of stock put it back in the pan and boilt it uncovered until it reduces. You can take it down to half a pint if you want to save space in the freezer. Pop it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready for it. The broth is a great culture medium but the fat will harden and seal it off so it can wait for a few days without going mouldy.


When it is cold it will be a jelly. That how it is supposed to be. I leave the seasoning until I come to use it.


Assembling the soup
For my soup I have onions, a piece of savoy cabbage, dried cep, a carrot, and rice stick noodles. The thing to remember is that this is an assembly. If you chuck everything in the stock and boil it up you will end up with something less exciting and homogenous. While the stock is warming up deal with the veg.

Heat a frying pan with some oil. Groundnut is my favourite. Put the thinly shredded cabbage and fried onions in and stir fry them. I'm going to use a few toasted sesame seeds, fish sauce and chilli oil to season them. 

When everything else is ready throw the noodles into some boiling water. Do not over cook them. Do not cook them in the stock. 

Season the stock. I use a shake of mushroom soy and some coconut cream. If you get the solid blocks it lasts for ever and you can chip off as much as you need.

Warm a big bowl. Put the noodles in the bottom and put on a shake of light soy and some sesame oil. Lay the greens alongside. They probably don't need so much seasoning. Pour over the stock.

This is where you can get creative. I like a few grilled tiger prawns and some thinly sliced roast pork on the top. Today I have the cep.

When it is all assembled a drizzle of home made roast chilli oil and a drop of roasted sesame oil on top. A sprinkle of fresh green coriander or parsley is also good.

Chopsticks and a spoon are the best thing to eat with. Forget what you were taught about table manners. Bring the bowl to your mouth and don't be shy about drinking the juice. A delicate slurp when eating the noodles is considered polite in some places.

When you have eaten it reflect on all the carcasses that you have thrown in the bin that could have given you a meal.