INGREDIENTS

• 4L water

• 1 whole chicken

• 25g ginger

• 100g soy sauce

• 15g dry shitake mushroom

• ½ bunch spring onions

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 star anise

• ½ mandarin peel

• 1 red chili

• ½ bunch coriander

• 150g shimeji mushrooms

• Fried shallots

• 100g water chestnuts sliced

• 500g packet fresh udon noodles

METHOD

1. Peel and finely slice the ginger, cut the white of the spring onions into small batons, peel half of the mandarin and remove the white inner skin of the peel, leaving the orange flesh of the mandarin and finely slice the dry shitake mushroom.

2. Place the chicken on a large pot, fill with room temperature water to 2cm high on top of the chicken (approx.4lt). Add the prepped ingredients (ginger, spring onions, mandarin peel, shitake mushroom), the cinnamon, star anise, and soy sauce and bring to the boil. Turn down to low and let simmer for 45min, using a ladle, remove the white impurities that come to the surface and discard.

3. Drain and slice the water chestnuts, chop the coriander, cut the end bits of the Gai Lan, tear the shimeji mushrooms, and finely slice the chili.

4. Cook noodles in a separate pot by packet following cooking instructions.

5. Remove chicken from stock and portion to your preference. Add the shimeji mushrooms and the Gai Lan to the stock and cook for 5 min. Serve with noodles, water chestnuts, Gai Lan, fry shallots, bean sprouts, season with a drizzle of sesame oil, a splash of soy sauce and chilli sauce if you wish, garnish with fresh coriander

Styling by Kayla Cameron. Visit her site here & Instagram here.

Photography by Bonnie Coumbe. See her site here & Instagram here.