(Chicago) – A fresh hot soup is a big relief from the painfully biting winter cold here in the Midwest.

This dish is hearty enough as a full meal but very simple and inexpensive to make. For this reason, it became a popular dish in the Philippines. Yes, we love hot soup dishes in the homeland, not because of the weather that is hot and humid all year round.  But because they are mostly affordable.

The recipe below makes 10-12 meal servings. However, you can feed a party of 20-25 if serving as appetizer or pre-entrée soup.

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz (283.5 grams) sotanghon (bean thread)
  • 3 lbs chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
  • 12 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 thumb-size ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 cup black mushroom, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon celery seeds
  • 1 cup carrots, julienne
  • ½ head of napa cabbage (pechay Baguio), shredded
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)
  • 2 teaspoons pepper

Garnish:

  • 1 head of garlic, chopped and toasted
  • 4 stalks green onion, finely chopped

Preparations:

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and put under broiler on high for 8 minutes per side. Add a few minutes as you see fit. Let the chicken cool off for a bit and then shred the meat. Alternatively, you can boil the chicken in seasoned water and save the broth for later use.

Soak dried mushroom in warm water for 30 minutes. Sliced hydrated mushroom caps into strips and discard the hard stems.

For the garnishing, heat oil in a small saucepan on medium. Add chopped garlic and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat and scoop out the garlic right away. Over toasted garlic is bitter.

Directions:

Heat oil in a big pot on medium heat. Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion and carrots. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Put chicken stock, celery seeds, patis, salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to medium high, cover and bring to a boil.

While waiting, wash sotanghon in running water using a strained and cut the noodles using a kitchen scissors. Do not soak in water. It’s better for the noodles to absorb the stock rather than plain water.

When broth starts to boil, add noodles, shredded chicken and mushroom. Cook for 3 minutes or until noodles get tender. Add cabbage and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Serve hot in individual bowls and garnish with toasted garlic and green onions.