Mi Vit Tiem (Herbal Braised Duck Noodle Soup), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
International dishesNoodlesChina2 hours simmering the bones, 30 minutes stewing the duck, about 3 hours in total
Mi vit tiem is a long session in the kitchen: a broth simmered from pork bones with a whole tray of Chinese herbs, and duck legs fried golden then stewed until they fall apart. A good bowl has clear broth, the scent of cinnamon and star anise without any harshness, and duck skin that keeps its glossy brown.
The hardest parts are a cloudy broth and a greasy one. The dry aromatics need toasting before they go into the pot, since raw they turn the broth harsh and bitter. After frying, the duck goes back into boiling water for 5 minutes to shed excess oil, and skipping that leaves a slick of fat across the whole pot.
This batch weighs about 9.4kg, at roughly 41 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 30g ginger, rinse it and pound it with 5g salt, then mix in 20ml white rice wine.
Soak 30g shiitake mushroom until plump, rinse and drain. Soak 2g tran bi until soft, scrape off the white pith and chop it. Wipe 1 dried monk fruit clean and crush it.
Rinse 5g cinnamon stick, 2 black cardamom pods, 2g clove, 10g tai vi and 2g Sichuan pepper, drain them, then toast until fragrant.
Peel 50g shallot and leave them whole, peel and slice 40g galangal, and cut 100g lemongrass into lengths and crush them. Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan and fry the shallot, galangal and lemongrass until golden, then lift them out and keep the oil.
Wash 1kg pork bones in dilute salt water, rinse, blanch for 2 to 3 minutes and rinse again. Put the bones in a pot with 6 liters cold water and simmer for the broth.
After 1 hour 30 minutes, add the fried shallot, lemongrass and galangal, simmer for another 30 minutes and skim often.
Rub 10g salt over the 5 duck legs, leave them for 10 minutes, then rinse and trim off the fat. Marinate the duck in the ginger, salt and wine mixture for 30 minutes.
Discard the ginger and shake off the liquid without rinsing the duck. Brush 5g dark soy sauce evenly over the skin and leave it for 5 minutes.
Fry the duck in the same oil, skin side first, then the other side, until evenly golden. Blanch the fried duck in boiling water for 5 minutes to shed the oil, then drain.
Season the broth with 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 20g salt. Add the duck legs, the toasted aromatics, 40g thuc dia and the shiitake mushroom, and stew over medium heat for 30 minutes.
Add 10g seasoning powder and 10g oyster sauce, stir until dissolved and turn off the heat.
Blanch the fresh egg noodles and 500g bok choy, put them in a bowl, top with a duck leg and the shiitake mushroom, then ladle the broth over. Serve with soy sauce and pickled green papaya.
Tips
Toasting the dry aromatics before they go in gives the broth its scent without any harshness.
Monk fruit, thuc dia, tai vi and tran bi are sold at Chinese herbal shops, and each one is needed only in a small amount.
Blanching the fried duck in boiling water is what keeps the broth clear and light.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so add it while the pot is boiling, stir for a minute and taste again after 5 minutes.
Tie the herbs into a cloth bag before dropping them in and fishing them out later takes one motion.
Blanch the noodles separately and put them in the bowl right before ladling, since noodles left sitting in broth turn soft.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.