Clear chicken soup (sa-ngo chrouk sach mouen)

Soup features in most Cambodian meals and is served with other dishes as part of a main meal. This is a light, citrusy chicken broth with rice and herbs, that is seasoned with salt only.

Credit: Feast magazine

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 litre chicken stock
• 50 g (¼ cup) steamed jasmine rice
• 1 garlic clove, bruised
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
• 2 cm slice galangal
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 400 g chicken breast fillets, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp grated palm sugar
• ½ lemon, juiced

Instructions

Combine stock, rice, garlic, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves in a large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil.

Add chicken, reduce heat to low–medium, then cook for 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add fish sauce and sugar, and lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and serve.

Photography by John Laurie.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.