Ingredients
- 15 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) lamb leg steaks, trimmed, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) good-quality chicken stock
- 2 1/2 tablespoons grated palm sugar (jaggery)
- 60 ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) hoisin sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 2 x 1 cm (1/2 in) wide strips orange zest, white pith removed
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dried rice vermicelli
- 2 spring onions (scallions), trimmed, thinly diagonally sliced, to serve
- 1/2 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
Method
1. Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and pour enough boiling water over to just cover. Stand for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain well, reserving the liquid, and slice the mushrooms.
2. Meanwhile, combine the lamb, half the rice wine, half the soy sauce and the garlic, ginger and sesame oil in a bowl and toss to combine well. Cover and stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Combine the remaining wine and soy sauce in a large saucepan with the mushroom liquid, stock, sugar, hoisin sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise and orange zest and slowly bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. Remove the spices and the orange zest and discard.
4. Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
5. Add the undrained lamb and the mushrooms to the broth in the pan and poach gently for 2-3 minutes or until the lamb is only just cooked through, do not allow the broth to boil or the lamb will be tough. Stir in the noodles and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
6. To serve, divide the soup among warmed serving bowls. Serve immediately, topped with the spring onion and coriander.
