Kaeng Djuut Wunsen Kai - a chicken soup

The word kaeng (pronounced 'gang' means two different things: one is a 
stew like dish, usually a curry or a chili, and the other is a soup. In 
Thai these are different words, and it is the bane of having to 
transliterate them into latin characters that reduces them to sameness. 
Some writers spell the curry word kaeng and the soup-word gaeng, others 
try to reflect the slightly more aspirated sound of the soup by spelling 
it 'khaeng'. Whatever: this uses the light semi-transparent vermicelli 
style noodles known as wunsen in Thai.  

You should also note that there are two types of soup in Thai cuisine: 
one type the Toms (tom kha kai, tom yam etc) are designed to be eaten 
with a meal. The other style, known collectively as kuiteao nam 
(pronounced roughly "gw-eye-tee-ow nam") or "wet noodle dishes", are a 
popular form of fast food in Thailand. They form a full meal and are 
regularly eaten for everything from breakfast to early dinner, costing 
only about 50 cents for a large helping in stalls and shops across 
Thailand (perhaps a bit more in Bangkok itself). This kaeng djuut is a 
kuiteao nam style "luncheon" dish. (In parallel with the kuiteao nam 
dishes there is a wide range of kuiteao haeng (dry noodles) dishes) 

The recipe calls for a small amount of tangchi (preserved chinese 
raddish), which can be obtained from Chinese stores. If you can't get it 
feel free to leave it out entirely. 

You will also need a chicken stock: in Thailand they eat all of the 
chicken except the feathers and the beak - and yes they do eat the feet. 
However the bones are left over, and stock is made from the bones. Take 
about a kilogramme of bones, and break them roughly with a large mallet 
or the pestle of your mortar and pestle (also widely used by Thai chefs 
to keep their husband's in line - made of granite it makes a handy 
weapon :-) To each kilogramme of bones add about a tablespoon of garlic, 
a tablespoon of ginger and a tablespoon of coarsely chopped 
coriander/cilantro. Cover with water and boil up your stock. Filter 
well, cool and then skim off any fat that accumulates on the surface if 
you want a low fat variant.Ingredients
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1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped fresh garlic 
1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped fresh ginger 
about a pint of chicken stock. 
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped tangchi 
a quarter pound of chicken cut into bitesized pieces 
2 ounces wunsen (vermicelli) 
1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce 
1-2 tablespoons of light soy 
palm sugar to taste (about half a teaspoon should be sufficient) 
half a cup of mushrooms (shitake is traditional, but western style 
 button mushrooms are fine). 
1 small onion, coarsely chopped 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
a couple of spring onions/green onions/scallions/ sliced 
 lengthwise as garnish 
a teaspoon of chopped coriander leaves as garnish.method
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Soak the wunsen in water at room temperature for about 10 minutes to 
soften it, then drain it thoroughly. 

Heat a little oil in a wok and stir fry the onion, garlic and ginger 
briefly.  

In a saucepan add the tangchi to a pint of stock and bring it to a 
gentle boil. 

Briefly stir fry the chicken to seal it, then transfer the chicken and 
onion, garlic and ginger to the stock, add the remaining ingredients, 
except the garnish and the wunsen, and simmer until the chicken is just 
about cooked through. Increase the heat to bring the pan to a rolling 
boil, add the noodles, and immediately turn the heat off.  

Pour the soup into a serving turine, sprinkle with the garnish, and 
deliver to the diners. Each diner should have a bowl with some fresh 
boiled rice. Traditionally each takes a spoon of soup from the communal 
serving bowl, picks up a little rice and then eats it. You may prefer to 
ladle portions of soup over the diner's rice bowls... 

In my opinion the quantities above make about enough for 4 people for a 
light lunch. Scale according to the number of diners and how hungry they 
are... 

Normal table condiments would be chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla), 
chili powder (prik phom) and sugar, you might want to add dark sweet soy 
as well. 

enjoy