Thai Noodles With Chicken Patties (Soup or Salad)

WaterMelon's Note:

This recipe idea formed quickly when I saw the ingredients list - as I just simply love Thai food. There are two variations to making this dish - you can either make a salad or a soup (perfect for all seasons!). When trying out both versions, I realized that I liked the Chinese flat rice noodles for the salad which is oilier (sold in the chilling area in my supermarket), and pho, its Vietnamese counterpart which is sold in the dried form. The chicken patties may be used in other stir fries, or frozen after you've cooked them.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 1

Chicken Patties

• 250 g ground chicken
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil , chopped (Thai basil preferably)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro , chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 2 thai birds eye chiles , minced (optional)
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon lime juice
• 1 egg , lightly beaten
• 1 slice day-old bread , crushed into crumbs

Dressing or Dipping Sauce

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Soup

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 slices ginger (galangal if you can find it)
• 1 stalk lemongrass , cut into 1 ", pieces and bruised
• ½ tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• fresh ground black pepper , to taste

Others

• 1 small carrot , cut into ribbons using peeler (approx 80g)
• 1 small red peppers or 1 small green pepper , julienned
• 4 medium shiitake mushrooms , sliced
• ½ cup bean sprouts
• 200 g chineseflat rice noodles (kway teow) or 200 g vietnamese dry rice noodles (pho, if using pho, soak in hot water for 5 mins and drain before using)

Garnish

• fresh cilantro
• fresh basil leaf
• chopped roasted cashews

Directions:

1. To make patties: Mix all required ingredients in a medium bowl using your hands; cover and let marinate in the fridge for 30mins.
2. Shape chicken mixture into patties (if you like, you can make chicken meatballs).
3. Heat 1-2 TB oil in skillet over MED-HI heat and cook patties, turning once, for 6 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown; set aside in a low oven to keep warm.
4. Whisk together dressing/dipping sauce ingredients, set aside.
5. To make salad: Bring salted water to boil in a saucepan (enough to cover the noodles), add noodles and cook for 4 mins or until tender; drain.
6. You may also blanch your vegetables in the boiling water for a few minutes, depending on how 'crunchy' you like your salad to be; drain.
7. Place cooked noodles and vegetables in a large bowl, add half of the dressing; toss to coat.
8. If desired, cut the cooked patties into thin slices (for presentation) before serving.
9. To serve the salad, divide the salad mixture on 2-3 plates, top with sliced chicken patties, drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with cilantro/basil and chopped cashews.
10. To make soup: Bring chicken stock to boil, add ginger, lemongrass, fish and soy sauce; add pho and cook until tender (approx 6-8 mins).
11. Add vegetables to soup to blanch them for a few minutes.
12. To serve, divide noodles/vegetables/soup into 2-3 bowls and sprinkle some black pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.
13. Top with the sliced chicken patties and garnish with basil/cilantro and cashews.

Reviews

[Susie D]

I prepared this on a cool rainy day for lunch so I chose the soup option. It was quick to put together and was well liked by my family. I made tiny meatballs to add to the soup at the end of the cooking time. I really liked the use of fresh herbs in this recipe, they add such great flavor. I would probably increase the thai chilis next time to add a little more heat. Thanks for a great contest entry!

[Mrs Beeton wannabe]

This recipe is great being one recipe with 2 possible dishes. To save time I marinated the chicken then put the noodles to boil while I made the dressing. Instead of making large patties, I made little nuggets which cooked much faster, and I also put half the nuggets in the oven which came out perfect, and eliminated time spent frying. I cannot say which I liked better -soup or salad, which are both meals on their own, and the only change I made was to add the cashew into the salad rather than keep it only for garnish. And for the genuine Thai flavour I would definitly add the chilli in the patties