Casual classics
Meals to impress your friends
IF YOU are in need of a touch of casual but cosmopolitan home dining experience, give the recipes by Stuart McKenzie a try. McKenzie ran a number of Melbourne cafes and restaurants before opening his own in the city. In his first cookbook, All Day Cafe, McKenzie offers more than 100 recipes gleaned from years in hospitality. He shares two with Weekend.
Chicken noodle soup
Serves 4–6
INGREDIENTS: ◗ 4 large dried shiitake mushrooms ◗ 250g egg noodles ◗ 1 tbs olive oil ◗ 1 garlic clove, minced ◗ 1cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped ◗ 1 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced ◗ 1 tbs light soy sauce ◗ 1 tbs rice wine ◗ 2 litres chicken stock ◗ 200g boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet, poached and shredded ◗ 100g corn kernels (shaved off a cob of corn) ◗ 4 baby bok choy (pak choy), trimmed, leaves separated ◗ 2 spring onions (scallions), shredded, to garnish.
METHOD: This is light, full bodied and fresh – and our take on this classic Asian comfort food.
Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain, discard the stems and thinly slice the caps. Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles following the manufacturer’s instructions. Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan large enough to hold all the ingredients. Add the mushrooms, garlic, ginger and chilli and saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes without colouring.
Stir in the soy sauce and rice wine, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the noodles, chicken, corn and bok choy and return to the boil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
To serve, lift the noodles out first and divide among soup bowls, then top with the soup and remaining ingredients.
Garnish with spring onion.