Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

1. In a large pot place the ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, sea salt and chicken. Cover with the water and bring to the boil over high heat. As soon as it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and allow it to gently simmer for 1.5 hours, skimming any impurities from the surface as it cooks.
2. Meanwhile for the noodles, tip the flour onto a clean work surface and scatter over the salt and baking powder. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Gently whisk the eggs and slowly bring in the flour and mix to incorporate. When the dough becomes stiff, use your hands to bring it together – it shouldn’t be too crumbly, but also not sticky. Alternatively combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of the processor and pulse until a rough dough forms. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Flatten into a disc, cover with an empty bowl inverted onto the bench or plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
3. Divide the pasta dough into four pieces. Cover three of the pieces and set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out using a rolling pin into a rough disc shape around 3mm thick. Roll the dough through a pasta machine set to the widest setting, then continue to roll through the narrower settings until the noodle sheet is around 1.5mm thick. Use the spaghetti attachment of your machine to cut the sheet into thin noodles, or alternatively roll up the sheet from the shortest side and cut using a sharp knife to create thin noodles. Flour the noodles so they don’t stick and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Set the noodles aside while you finish the broth.
4. Strain the stock into a smaller pot (you should have around 3 litres). Once cool enough to handle, coarsely shred the chicken meat and set aside in a bowl, discarding the bones and remaining ingredients. Season the broth with the soy sauce, shaoxing wine or sake and sugar and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Keep the pot of broth hot over a low heat while you cook the noodles.
5. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for around 2 minutes or until al dente. Divide the noodles into serving bowls and pour over the hot broth. Add some shredded chicken and top each bowl with a poached egg, sesame seeds, fried shallots, plenty of coriander, lime and sesame or chilli oil.

Recipe by Julia Busuttil