Indonesian Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

In a saucepan over high heat, bring 8 cups water to boil. Add the 1 tablespoon salt and the chicken and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is opaque throughout when tested with a knife, about 30 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Reserve the broth. Meanwhile, soak the vermicelli in water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Seed and chop 1 of the chiles. Chop 4 of the shallots and the ginger slices. In a mortar, combine the chile, chopped shallots, ginger, garlic, almonds, lemongrass, turmeric, and coriander and grind together until a paste forms. Add 1-2 tablespoons water if needed to facilitate grinding. Set the chile paste aside. Slice the remaining 3 shallots and fry until crisp.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the canola oil. Add the chile paste and saut until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour the reserved broth through a fine mesh sieve into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Shred the chicken into thin pieces, discarding the bones. Halve the remaining chile lengthwise, remove the seeds and thinly slice on the diagonal. Quarter the hard-boiled eggs lengthwise,

Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil, add the drained noodles, and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and divide among individual bowls.

Divide the shredded chicken, bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions, and sliced chile evenly among the bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the top and garnish with the eggs and fried shallots. Serve at once.

Makes 4-6 servings