Silver Travel Cook Club - September 2020
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This month’s Silver Travel Cook Club features a recipe for Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, inspired by sponsor Emerald Waterways' Majestic Mekong holiday, which begins in Siem Reap and ends in Ho Chi Minh City, including a stunning voyage on the river itself.
And you could win an Emerald Waterways goody bag and a
copy of Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy: Simple, Flavorful and Quick Meals.
Majestic Mekong - 15 Day River Cruise and Tour
Your journey begins in Siem Reap, where early mornings and ancient
architecture promise to be the perfect combination. Angkor Wat is sure to
fascinate, as is Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.
Then begin your journey along the majestic Mekong River on board
the magnificent Emerald Harmony Star-Ship. Discover Phnom Penh and visit a
family-owned silk-producing factory, and attend a scarf-weaving workshop in
Long Khanh Island.
Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City beckons for a two-night stay, where you will uncover the Cu Chi Tunnels and enjoy an insightful included city tour.


Departure dates and pricing:
Emerald Waterways 2021 and 2022 Vietnam, Cambodia & Mekong
River Cruising collection is now on sale, along with a fantastic
launch offer.
Enjoy generous
savings of up to £1,500 per couple, plus enjoy unlimited on
board drinks during your time on board Emerald Harmony,
courtesy of a free Premium Drinks Package.
What’s
more, choose to pay your holiday balance in full by 31 October 2020 and
receive an additional £200 per person Early Payment
Discount.
From £2,945 per person, departing 19 May 2021
(price includes all relevant discounts).
Terms and conditions apply.
Recipe: Pho - Vietnamese chicken noodle soup
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 shallots - sliced
- 3 garlic cloves - sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk - chopped
- 2.5cm piece ginger - sliced
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1.5 litres chicken stock
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 500g rice noodles
- 4 spring onions - sliced
- 1 carrot - shredded or thinly sliced
- 150g mung bean sprouts
- bunch coriander - chopped
- small bunch mint leaves - chopped
- 1 red chilli - thinly sliced
- 1 fried shallot
- 1 lime - cut into wedges
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and cook the shallots
and garlic for 5 minutes or until caramelised and golden brown.
Using a large pan, add the caramelised shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, Chinese five-spice, peppercorns, sugar, fish sauce, chicken stock and chicken breasts. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
Whilst chicken is simmering, cook the noodles until just cooked. Rinse under cold water to cool and stop them sticking together. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
Strain the soup through a sieve and discard the spices. Shred the chicken and keep to one side. Return soup to the pan and bring to the boil. Season to taste.
To serve, ladle piping hot soup into bowls of noodles and chicken, and top with the spring onion, carrot, bean sprouts, and herbs, chilli and the crispy shallots. Finally, serve with a lime wedge.
Authentic and truly tasty!

How to win an Emerald Waterways goody bag and a copy
of Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy
Soups are wonderfully warming in winter and suitably chilly when they are eaten cold in the summer. And sometimes, when travelling, quite unexpected in flavour and texture.
Tell us about your favourite soup, where you’ve eaten it and just what makes it so special. The best entry will win a copy of Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy.
Read more about all of our Silver Travel Cook Club recipes.
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What are your thoughts?
To leave a comment, please Sign inOther Members' Thoughts - 28 Comment(s)
love the above whe i was in Northen China with porks was so good but the one in the uk are never the same
@Leah50 - I love the name and concept of 'Maltese Widow's soup'.
@philatel - couldn't agree more about a soup enjoyed somewhere else not quite tasting the same back here. I was lucky to live in Bermuda for most of the 1980s. One of their local dishes is the legendary fish chowder, particularly when enjoyed at the Lobster Pot restaurant and laced with a generous tot of Gosling's rum and Outerbridge's fiery sherry peppers. Yum. But try to recreate it on a cold November night in England, and it loses rather a lot of its appeal.
Please keep these soupy comments flowing to be in with a chance of winning a copy of 'Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy' AND a rather fetching goody bag from our sponsor Emerald Waterways.
Having visited Vietnam and loved their soups - do not know any of the names of them - it will be interesting to try to make some of them. Thank you