Chicken Bee Hoon Soup 雞肉米粉

Once in a while, we will cook Chicken Bee Hoon Soup for lunch on a weekend. Bee Hoon is also known as Rice Vermicelli. The clear soup is refreshing especially on a hot day. We usually use Chicken stock for the soup as it makes the soup tastier. 

I would advise that you buy the whole chicken from the wet market and have it cooked the same day to enjoy its freshness. If you are unable to cook them on the same day, do keep them in the fridge and cook them the next day. 

This is my recipe for Chicken Bee Hoon Soup. Serves 4 people.

Dried Red Date, Angelica Sinesis (Dang Gui), Ligusticum, Codonopsis,Goji Berry, Chinese Yam, Astragalus Bark - Basic chinese herbs.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

- 1 whole chicken
- 1 packet Chinese herbs for stewing chicken soup (炖鸡汤料)
- 4 slices ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly bruised
- a small handful of dried black fungus, soaked in hot water, drained and cut to strips (optional)
- 3 cup water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (reduce the amount if you want less “heaty”)
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese wine (hua tiao/shao hsing)

Directions
1. Place chicken in a wide and deep plate. Scatter washed Chinese herbs, ginger, garlic and cut fungus (if using) over the chicken.
2. Add water, sesame oil, light soy sauce and Chinese wine. Stir to mix well.
3. Seal the plate with aluminium foil and cook the chicken on high heat until the water at the steamer is boiling.
4. Lower down the heat and continue to cook for about 50 minutes to an hour.
5. Season the soup to taste with salt or soy sauce if needed. Use a spoon to drizzle some soup onto the chicken.
6. You can serve the steamed chicken dish as it is, or serve the shredded chicken meat and soup in a soup bowl.

Cooking Notes
1. To test if the chicken is cooked, insert a fork in the thigh area. If clear liquid (no blood) runs out, it is cooked.
2. You can also use cut chicken pieces instead of using a half or whole chicken, steaming time will be slightly faster.
3. You can also use fresh mushrooms such as shiitake instead of black fungus.