Bamboo is one of my top favourite ingredients in the soup. Bamboo comes in a few forms, I like to look for young bamboo that’s yellow. With this ingredient, we’re making bún măng gà, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup with chicken and bamboo. This dish is classically made with Duck instead of Chicken, but because Chicken is much more affordable, I love using it over Duck any day. In my opinion, this is one of the simplest yet most complex-tasting Vietnamese dishes.
If you order bún măng vịt at a Vietnamese restaurant, it would be served as a fragrant duck noodle soup (with no duck pieces!), along with a plate of duck served on top of shredded cabbage. Read along for the full ingredient list, and trust me, it’s fairly effortless for a load of flavour!
Ever since my favourite restaurant for Bún Măng Vịt, Pho Queen City closed with the struggle of restaurant closures through the pandemic, I’ve been longing to replicate the taste at home on a budget. And substituting the protein for chicken definitely solves that answer!
Here are a few tips for that perfect bowl of Bún Măng Gà
- Bamboo differs! If you look for the yellow bamboo at the grocers, there are some packages with young or older bamboo – I would select the younger one, as it’s a nicer bite, and sometimes find the older one to be tougher. There’s also white bamboo, which is used for sour fish soups!
- The goal is a clear broth. Make sure to attentively skim any scum, as skipping this would change the taste of the soup.
- Do not skip the dipping sauce! It’s similar to the beloved Fish Sauce dip, but just more concentrated, with a hit of grated ginger, which goes so well with chicken.
Recipe: Bún Măng Gà (Vietnamese Chicken & Bamboo Noodle Soup)
Bún Măng Gà (Vietnamese Chicken & Bamboo Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
Bamboo Shoots
- 454 g bamboo shoots see Note 1
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 shallot
- 1½ tbsp garlic minced
- ¼ tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chicken powder Knorr is my preference
Broth
- 4 chicken legs thigh and drumstick attached, with skin on
- 1 lb chicken carcass
- 4½ L water
- 140 g ginger unpeeled, sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 100 grams rock sugar
- 3 tbsp chicken powder Knorr is my preference
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 inch ginger
- 1½ tbsp garlic
- ½ lime or 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 thai chili pepper to taste
To Serve
- 454 g vermicelli rice noodles
- cilantro chopped
- 2 stalks green onions thinly sliced vertically
- white cabbage shredded
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Bamboo Mix
- Add oil to the pan and saute garlic & shallot until fragrant.2 tbsp neutral oil, 1 shallot, 1½ tbsp garlic
- Add bamboo shoots. After 3 minutes, lower the heat and add sugar, salt and chicken powder. Set aside.454 g bamboo shoots, ¼ tsp granulated sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp chicken powder
Broth
- Prep the chicken legs and carcass by rubbing clean with salt on all sides, then rinse chicken and pat dry.4 chicken legs, 1 lb chicken carcass
- To a large pot, bring 4.5 litres of water to a boil. Once boiled, add chicken and ginger. Simmer for 25 minutes on medium, and skim off any foam. (see Note 2)4 chicken legs, 1 lb chicken carcass, 4½ L water, 140 g ginger
- Remove chicken from the stock and set aside to cool. Discard ginger.
- Add soup seasoning to pot: chicken powder, rock sugar, and fish sauce. Add shallot & bamboo mix to the pot. Continue to simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.454 g bamboo shoots, 100 grams rock sugar, 3 tbsp chicken powder, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 shallot
Dipping Sauce (see Note 3)
- Add garlic and ginger to mortar and pestle, pound until a rough paste is created.1 inch ginger, 1½ tbsp garlic
- In a pan, heat up water and mix in sugar. Turn off heat.⅓ cup water
- Add fish sauce, garlic & ginger mix, remaining water and lime (or rice vinegar). Add chili to taste (optional).¼ cup fish sauce, 1 inch ginger, 1½ tbsp garlic, ½ lime, 1 thai chili pepper
Assembly
- To serve, add noodles, soup and bamboo to bowl. Garnish with cilantro, onion, lime and green onion.cilantro, 2 stalks green onions, white cabbage
- In a side bowl, arrange portioned chicken legs on top of cabbage. Ladle sauce over, or dip chicken directly in sauce.white cabbage, 4 chicken legs
Notes
- Note 1: Bamboo differs! If you look for the yellow bamboo at the grocers, there are some packages with young or older bamboo – I would select the younger one, as it’s a nicer bite, and sometimes find the older one to be tougher. There’s also white bamboo, which is used for sour fish soups!
- Note 2: The goal is a clear broth. Make sure to attentively skim any scum, as skipping this would change the taste of the soup.
- Note 3: Do not skip the dipping sauce! It’s similar to the beloved Fish Sauce dip, but just more concentrated, with a hit of grated ginger, which goes so well with chicken.
