Healthy Duck Soup (Ped Toon)
Inspired by Thai celebration favourite, ped toon, this healthy bowl of noodles in an aromatic broth is topped with slices of tender duck.
From the book
The Noodle Cookbook
A collection of flavour-packed noodle recipes for every occasion
From Japanese-inspired ramen to plant-based noodle stir-fries
With advice on noodle varieties and store cupboard essentials
Introduction
Hugely popular among Thai people but little known outside of Asia, Ped Toon is a special occasion dish. You’ll often see it at festivals, with rows of ducksoup sellers surrounded by locals perched on plastic chairs, happily slurping their soup. Some sellers add cola to the broth for a little fizz and top it with shredded duck.
Ingredients
| 250g (9oz) | duck breast, skinless |
| 120g (4¼oz) | dried yellow egg noodles, thin or thick, but you can use wheat noodles if you prefer |
| small handful of | fresh bean sprouts, or small handful of finely sliced iceberg lettuce |
| For the broth: | |
| 2 | star anise, or a pinch of ground aniseed |
| ½ tbsp | ground cinnamon |
| ½ tsp | Chinese five-spice powder |
| 1 tsp | ginger paste, or 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger |
| 1 tsp | garlic paste, or 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped |
| ½ tsp | sea salt |
| 1 tsp | finely ground black pepper |
| 1 tbsp | dark soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| ½ tbsp | fish sauce |
| 1 tbsp | honey or agave syrup |
| 900ml (1½ pints) | boiling water |
| For the toppings: | |
| small handful of | fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped |
| 1 | spring onion (scallion), finely chopped |
| 1 tbsp | fried crispy garlic or onions (optional) |
Method
Put all the broth ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan over a medium–high heat and add the duck breast.
Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Then remove the cooked duck and strain the broth through a fine sieve into a separate saucepan. Set the strained broth and the cooked duck aside.
Half-fill a small saucepan with boiling water and place over a medium heat. Add the noodles and boil for 2–3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodle.
To assemble the dish, divide the noodles between two large bowls and top with the bean sprouts or lettuce. Slice the duck and place in the bowls. Reheat the broth, bringing it back to the boil, then pour it all over the noodles. Finally, scatter over the toppings and get stuck in immediately.
