Duck & Bamboo Noodle Soup

Serves: 4

By Uyen Luu

@loveleluu

Broth

Ingredients

  • 4 duck legs
  • 2 litres (70 fl oz/3 cups) water
  • 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
  • 80 g (3 oz) ginger root, sliced
  • 4 small round shallots
  • 20 g (3/4 oz) palm or rock sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon MSG

Bamboo Shoots

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bamboo shoots, rinsed well
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon MSG
  • 2 spring onions (scallions), white ends

Noodles

Ingredients

  • 80 g (3 oz) per serving rice vermicelli (0.8 mm)

Garnish

Ingredients

  • 4 shallots, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 30 g (1 oz) Vietnamese coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped (if you can’t find you can leave out or substitute for more coriander and spring onions)
  • 30 g (1 oz) coriander (cilantro) stalks and leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 4 wedges of lime or lemon
  • 2 birdseye chillies, sliced

Instructions

  1. Bring the measured water to a half boil, then submerge the legs with sea salt, ginger, shallots, rock or palm sugar, and MSG.
  2. Cover and bring to a boil, then cook on a low simmer for 20–30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles by placing them in a bowl and submerge in boiling water. Cover for 10 mins, then drain and rinse with hot tap water. Cover to fluff up for 10 minutes in the colander.
  4. To cook the bamboo shoots, add the oil to the pan on medium heat with shallots and sliced garlic and gently fry until golden. Then add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry with the sugar, fish sauce, and MSG for 5 minutes stir in the spring onions. Set aside.
  5. After 20–30 minutes, remove the duck legs and place in a cold-water bath for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside to rest. Remove and discard the shallots and ginger from the broth pot.
  6. Transfer the stir-fried bamboo shoots into the broth and continue to simmer for 10–15 minutes then remove the bamboo and set aside.
  7. To make the crispy shallots, fry slices in olive oil on medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until golden. Keep a close eye on the shallots as they turn colour quickly.
  8. Place the vermicelli into noodle soup bowls.
  9. Take the meat off the bones, leaving the skin on, and cut against the grain into 1 cm (3/4 in) thick slices. Place onto the noodle bowls with the herbs, spring onion, bamboo shoots, birdseye chillies, and 1 teaspoon of the fried crispy golden shallots.
  10. When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil, ladle the hot broth over the noodles, and serve with a squeeze of lime or lemon.