Peppered Ginger Beef Stir fry & Apple Pie Filling for Apple Galette

Good day one & all!
Today I am sharing some Peppered Ginger Beef stir fry and an Apple Galette that I tried to make with another blogger's dough recipe, which was leftover from making pumpkin pies. Recipe fr the pumpkin pie is here:
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/10/classic-gluten-free-pumpkin-pie-and-ode.html

If you are not familiar with Apple Galette, it is a rustic style apple pie that does not get baked baked in a traditional pie pan. It's actually a perfect pie for beginning baker's as it requires very little skill, is not highly stylized with special cutouts or crimping, and is beautiful when finished baking. See for yourself:


 Just scroll down below if you only want the pie recipe.

We were at the health food store recently and in the freezer there was organic beef on special, we got a few items, I am not a big beef person. Having been a vegetarian for so many years, macrobiotic, raw vegan, and hyper aware of how poorly these animals are all too often treated, I veer away most times. Since my difficulties with my thyroid, low iron and calcium, along with some other stuff, I do on occasion, indulge. It often requires a few digestive enzymes, as I struggle to digest red meat, and I usually add a lot of heavy seasonings and marinades to cover the beefy taste.
Honestly, I prefer poultry and fish.
This recipe is very quick when it comes to cooking, it's a high-heat stir fry, as such, I seriously recommend three very important things before you make it.

1-Read through the ENTIRE recipe & instructions twice before you begin and keep the recipe close at hand when you are making it.

2-Have all the ingredients ready and near by before you start cooking. Chef's, call this advanced ingredient prep, Mise-en-Place. It means all items in place (at the ready to begin).

3-No distractions when cooking, you cannot be on a phone call, handling a baby, scrolling through social media, answering the door, etc. This recipe cooks in 5 1/2 minutes, yup, that fast. The meat cut for this is usually tender and over cooking will create a seriously tough end product.


PEPPERED GINGER BEEF STIR FRY

Ingredients:

3-4 Lbs Organic Beef Stir fry steak pieces, cut in strips (Ours was pre-cut)
1/4 Cup Organic gluten-free Tamari
1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp Organic Sesame oil
1 Tbsp Fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh grated ginger
1 Clove garlic crushed
1 Onion chopped

1 Yellow or Orange pepper chopped
1 Bunch scallion aka green spring onion, cut thinly on an angle
2 Cups Rich beef stock, (I make my own and reduce it by half by cooking it down, if you need a recipe, click on the link after the recipe & pictures, down below.)
3 Tbsp Tapioca starch mixed with some beef stock to form a thick paste

Method:

-In a bowl place beef that has been patted down with paper towels to remove excess moisture & blood
-Add to beef the Tamari, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, pepper & ginger. Allow to marinade, covered in the fridge for 30 minutes. (Not longer or it will become way too salty.)
-Once the beef is ready, in a pan, heat the remaining oils, on a medium high heat cook the onions for 1 minute.
-Add beef and stir, after 1 minute of cooking, add garlic, stir to keep from burning, cook 1 minute. Remove to a bowl to add back once the peppers are cooked.
-Working quickly, add peppers and remaining ginger, cook- stir constantly for 1 minute, add beef back in.
-Add beef stock and heat through for 1 minute then pour in the tapioca mixture, you must stir quickly to make sure it thickens throughout the whole dish and does not get lumps. Cook 30 seconds and remove from heat.
-Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with the scallions just before serving. Feel free to add any other vegetables of choice as an extra side dish if you like.









Now we move onto the dessert, as I said earlier, this is not my pie crust recipe but it did the trick. It was not a crisp shell, it had more of that flakiness to it.
Here is the link to the blog, Flippin' Delicious, where the crust originates from:
http://flippindelicious.com/2014/11/best-all-butter-gluten-free-pie-crust-pastry.html

When I make apple pie, I NEVER use packaged pie filling. That would be sacrilege, no touchie!
The only canned pie filling I use, in a serious pinch, is cherry and that's because out of season cherries are expensive and unavailable. Besides, apple pie filling is really not expensive or difficult and you get such a great tasting product from it, you really need to give it a whorl, I must insist that you bake it with loads of love though. It makes a difference, trust me.

APPLE PIE FILLING FOR GALETTE

Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith Apples (They hold up better when baking)
1 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Pinch of ground clove
1/4 Cup REAL apple juice (The brown one, sometimes called apple cider-no alcohol)
1 Tbsp Tapioca starch mixed with some apple juice to form a paste
3 Tbsp Grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp Organic coconut sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 Cup cold salted butter
1 Egg mixed with 1 Tbsp milk of choice or water

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

-In a bowl mix together apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, maple syrup, vanilla, maple syrup and coconut sugar.

-*In a non-reactive sauce pan, place apple mixture with apple juice. Heat on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, you don't want mushy apples, just slightly cooked. Then add tapioca mixture and remove from heat while stirring constantly until it thickens. Leave to cool.

-Between two sheets of parchment paper roll out your dough large enough to accomodate your filling and to 1/2" thickness. Gently remove the top layer of parchment, you can use the bottom layer as parchment to line your sheet for baking.

-Place the dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet that has lipped edges to catch any juices that may run.

-Chill in freezer for 4 minutes.

-Remove from freezer and dot with a few chunks of butter, place apple filling over the butter and in the center of the galette. Some of the juice will run, do not panic, this is normal.

-Quickly dot more butter over the apples and begin to carefully fold in and upwards, the edges of the pastry crust. You fold one part over the next as if closing a sectioned envelope.

-Place the last of the butter on top, then using the egg and a pastry brush, run the egg wash over the outside of the crust to help with browning. You may sprinkle it with a bit of coconut sugar or cane sugar if you like. I only used the egg wash.

-Bake in your preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until it is a nice golden brown.

*If you look at my pictures below, I did not cook my apples in the sauce pan before, I placed them directly in the crust after they were well seasoned up and I had also added the apple juice and tapioca to that mixture before. The reason is, that I am a weirdo and like my apples to be super firm when I eat pie, I am not a fan of apple mush. This means the apples are not as soft as the average person is used to and people who don't like it that way will complain. I think it's leftovers from my Rawfood vegan days, I am used to a snap in my fruit when I bite. If you prefer a more solid apple bite, the Granny Smith's will give that, which is the reason I choose them over red apples like a McIntosh. However, if you want a serious apple bite with a slightly harder texture, then you can make it my way but I suggest cooking it a bit longer so the apples are softer and halfway through, lower the temperature to 325 degrees so you don't burn the crust. Otherwise, follow the original recipe if this is all too much for you.

                                             Here you can see the simple folding process.

                          This is how beautifully she turned out when she was finished baking.

                     So scrumptious, nothing says comfort like a wonderful piece of apple pie.


I hope you liked this post, please ask any questions you like and leave comments down below. I like to hear from you and know how your kitchen adventures turn out. Don't forget to subscribe!

Polish Paprika Chicken

I am digging into my Polish roots for this fall memory lane of a recipe.
Yes, I have some Polish in me via my Grand-papa on the father's side. I get the Greek from that side of the family too, as well as a sprinkling of British. On my mother's side there is French from the first Acadian settler's, Mic Mac and Mohawk native (typical Québecois), with some Irish which was originally Scottish, to stew it all together. If I was in a kennel, I would definitely be a happy mixed mutt.
My son has all of this, plus his father is Jamaican. Oh yeah, we got a party going on over here.
Meals are always interesting, adventurous, and very flavourful. I have been organizing, as you know if you have been following, and came across this old throwback of a cookbook that reminded me of great kitchen moments, brought to us by my mother, and these awesome recipes she made from this book.
It's called World of Good Eating and the recipes had to be good because they were from around the world and tested by a New England house wife, no less. Cannot go wrong there my friends, even if it is a 19-take-it-easy cookbook.It's quaint and sparks up nostalgia whenever I see it's tattered cover and falling out pages which are being held together by a rubber band and a prayer.

I chose to go back to Poland and have a go at a slightly modified, gluten-free version of Paprika Chicken.I also tested a new lactose-free sour cream that has come out on the market and only recently became available at our grocer's. I was very happy with the results. This is definitely a more rich and hearty meal, I am not used to eating this way but when the weather turns cooler, I like to return to things like this once in a while. This is comfort food and a nice nod to these brilliant fall days, I think you will enjoy it, it also freezes beautifully and feeds a family of four no problem.
Let's kick it old school Polack style!

POLISH PAPRIKA CHICKEN

Ingredients:

1 3Lb fryer chicken cut up and patted dry. (I used an 8 pack of thighs with skin on, next time I will remove the skin though because it's not needed. In all honesty, I was too tired to remove it.)
1 Cup Chopped onion
1 Stalk celery, peeled and chopped very small
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Paprika (not spicy)
3 Cloves garlic crushed
1/2 Can of diced tomatoes, drained of juice, reserve the juice)
2 Stock cubes (I used an herb one)
1 1/2 Cups water
1 Cup of reserved tomato juice from drained can of tomatoes
1 Tbsp black pepper fresh ground
1 Tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Fresh Thyme
2 Bay leaves
4 Potatoes cleaned and cut into large dice kept in water to avoid browning from oxidization, I like yellow fleshed potatoes.
3 Tbsp Potato starch mixed with enough water to form a paste, about 1 1/2 Tbsp water
1 Cup Lactose free sour cream, low fat. (Can omit if needed)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
-In a Dutch oven, (we have a Le Creuset and it's the best for this kind of recipe) heat the oil to medium high and cook the dried off chicken on each side until browned, about 6-8 minutes each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve on a plate.
-To fat in pan add butter and heat on medium heat until melted, add onions and cook until becoming lightly golden, pick up any browned chicken bits on the Dutch oven bottom, for that yummy flavour and keep stirring.
-Add celery, cook 1 minute.
-Add paprika and cook 1 minute, add drained potatoes.
-Add garlic, stir and cook 1 minute.
-Add tomatoes, cook 1 minute always stirring.
-Add tomato juice, stock cubes, water, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, and salt, stir.
-Carefully place chicken in and any juices that have pooled in the plate into the dutch oven.
-Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
-Remove from oven, stir, and keep lid off for remaining cook time. Place back in oven for 1 hour.
-Remove from oven, immediately stir in the potato starch slurry mix and stir, stir, stir. It will thicken as the heat works it's magic.
-In a bowl, place your sour cream, take some of the thickened cooking liquid and temper it by adding the hot liquid to it, one spoon at a time and constantly whisking it until well mixed. This is to avoid the sour cream from splitting and becoming an ugly curdled mess, which will happen if added to the too hot liquid without the tempering process to bring the sour cream temperature up higher.
-Add the tempered sour cream to the Dutch oven chicken, stir.
-The chicken should be falling off the bone tender, I like to remove it from the bones, chuck the bones and serve this scrumptiousness with fresh greens or string beans. Some people serve this over rice but because I have already added potatoes, I don't feel it needs the addition of more carbs. This is up to you.
Serve this with crusty bread if you like, I ate it with plain, no buttered string beans. I felt the sour cream added enough richness and the whole thing is a nice hearty thick stew consistency, so you don't need more richness with your veg.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did, we had so many leftovers. I froze half of it and ate it two weeks later. What a warm hug in a bowl...sigh.


Ignore the leeks and green onions, somehow they photobombed this pic, and I have given them a very bad spanking indeed.




Chicken is super tender and literally falls off the bone.The above pic is before the addition of sour cream, you can totally skip this if you cannot handle dairy at all. Below is with the sour cream.



I can't wait to hear about your kitchen adventure's, let me know if you have any questions down below. I love to hear from you, happy Cheffin'!
Don't forget to keep checking back for more scrumptious fall delights and subscribe!

Death to No See Ums, Fresh Country Air, Rescue Farm, Jamie Oliver's Milk Chicken & Raw Honey

The Dalek is because I have been dealing with some no see ums (biting black gnats or biting midges) and I may have been screeching, Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! They were accidentally brought in on my yoga pants a few weeks back when I lay down in the grass early one morning, while on my walk. It was because I had some sciatic pain and needed to lie down immediately to stretch the pain away, so I could walk again. I am allergic to grass and thought nothing of it when I felt a bit itchy, until the biting began. Aaaaah! Help me!!! I jumped off that grass so fast and ran all the way home like one of the little piggies, and I cried wolf to my beloved.
 Poppa Bear informed me that they were most likely chiggers. Whaaaaaa? Never heard of this before. And so our sordid tale of gnat mischief begins, you see I thought I was going a bit bonkers for the last 3 weeks or so because I could swear something was biting my ankles, my feet, my legs, especially at night and in the later part of the day around 5pm. I also woke up with bites on my neck, ears, breast,(poppa bear was not happy, something about not sharing- teehee) and my head was super itchy. Problem was I could never find or see a dang thing. Lo and behold, I finally come across the culprit this past week when I felt a bite, I had a flashlight in hand by chance and scoped out the situation. Little creep flew off when I shone the light but I finally saw the minuscule wanker. I went crazy cleaning, researching, getting bug products, keeping the a/c on as cold as possible, washing all bedding every day, and mothball bagging all clothes, yarn, and anything else that had soft egg layable home material. Plus we have been keeping bleach poured down sinks before bed to kill eggs, it's helping but I just want them to go away now. I must say that we are very lucky because I caught it pretty early, I have read some awful stories. So, needless to say, when I got an invite to escape out to the country, I seized it. Exchange my no see ums bugs for mosquitoes, flies, and all the glories of nature. It was beautiful and exactly what the doctor ordered. See for yourself:

The cow saw me, she totally caught me taking pics of  the geese and the pasture.
I happened to get away on a beautiful long weekend, seriously hot but when you are out in the country, the nights cool down and it's perfect for sleeping; and because you are so busy during the day, the heat does not bother as much.
   Because of my allergies, I am the kind of guest that brings food. Often I prefer to make a whole meal for a small set of people and breakfast too. It makes it easier on the hosts, it's safer for my health, let's me put my Chef talents to proper use, and nobody has to cook after traveling. It's  winner winner and yup, I made chicken dinner! I tested Jamie Oliver's milk chicken recipe with dairy-free variations and an Asian spice twist. I forgot to take pic of the finished product but man was it yum scrum!

Here's the link to the original and after the link, are my variations to it because I can not do any dairy except a bit of butter.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/chicken-in-milk/

Coconut Milk Chicken with Asian Spice Mix Variation Information:
Follow Jamie Oliver's Directions but substitute 4 C of coconut milk for his milk, a spice bag with 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole allspice, 2 sprigs fresh time, 1 bay leaf, 3 whole black cardamom, 2 sticks licorice, and 1 kefir lime leaf. I also only used 1 lemon, black fresh cracked pepper, 4 cloves garlic with skin, 1 clove garlic crushed and added to milk, and kosher salt for my recipe. I also used 3 chicken legs with thigh on and a pack of 8 chicken thighs only because I wanted more pieces as I was feeding more people and wanted left overs. I did not use any sage in the variation.
Most importantly for me though, was how I left the lid on our Le Creuset dutch oven for 30 minutes and then removed the lid for the last 60 minutes. The reason for doing it this way is because I like a good amount of sauce and I wanted to keep more of it to pour over the sides I made. I served this with basmati rice for the others, mashed sweet potatoes for me and umeboshi cabbage. I will give that recipe a wiz another day on this blog. As I stated earlier, it was a last minute invite and I had to prepare, cook, and pack, in a few hours so pictures were not priority.
Here is Jamie Oliver's finished recipe pic and honestly? WOWZA!:
                                           
Next morning we had Crêpes with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, recipe is here for those:

http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-crepes-xanthan-gum-free/
and here's the link to the strawberry rhubarb compote for your mom Lady T!
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/08/strawberry-rhubarb-compote-pie-filling.html

My friends mother loved that compote, I like that it's made with no refined sugars and that it's chunky. I thought I might be alone in my preference for these things but it turns out I was delightfully mistaken.
When brekkie was done we headed out to my friend Lady T's brothers farm. It's actually a horse/cat rescue farm, that is home to 11 Arabian beauties, kitties, and other assorted furry friends. I had such a blast, I love love love the country. I pray that God gives Poppa Bear and I the opportunity to live out there because this city mouse thrives in that kind of environment. It's so much better than city life, harder yes, and a lot of work but the pace and people are just delightful.
Here's some pics I took, I blocked out lady T's face because I didn't ask her if she was OK with her pic being shown here.The first is looking out from the barn to where we needed to walk to reach the horses that were loose and making trails in the wooded areas.

This guy was so enamored with Lady T, he was a total rub love suck, check out the next pic after this one below. His eyes were all googoo.

What you don't get to see is that the family dog, which is still a playful pup, does not get along with this guy so he barks incessantly to annoy him. Seconds later he'd had enough and bucked his head on the wood slats to warn the dog off. Dog shut up and scampered off ASAP. Hilarious!

I touched a horse up close for the first time! I was a bit nervous because it's a big animal and I wasn't sure what they liked or didn't like. Dogs are more my speed for behavioral understanding but it was just lovely, the horses were so gorgeous and calm.


Apologies for the blur but there was a lot of hoof movement and we were warned to not get under foot. I was so excited, I had a hard time staying calm. Big kid in a candy store, seriously, how could someone want to hurt these animals or put them on a plate to eat?

That big guy was a Clydsdale mix and he ran the show. He was all like, "Rub me first as I am too sexy to be ignored." Naaah, he was a perfect gentleman and the horses waited their turns with one or two being a bit more insistent for attention than the others. They were all trying to cope with the heat and keep flies away, horses don't like bugs much either. I wish the camera could convey the intensity of their gorgeous coats better.

This guy was so sweet, look at that cute punim, he put his face super close because he wanted me to rub him in between munching breaks. I keep giggling when I see that picture because he was so up in my face but adorable too.

Nat and Mat with their son Ben are doing a wonderful thing at this horse rescue, these animals would have ended up on a dinner plate if she had not been there to intervene; give them this wonderful place to rest, roam, and have a chance at a great life. It's so much hard work, Lady T and I want to help them, we're going to get a site up for them with loads of sponsorship & Patreon info, vids, come meet the horses opportunities, so people like you reading this blog can help them and save these magnificent beauties. There are 2 sponsors for the horses as I write this and a new sponsor arrived yesterday for one of the horses as we were leaving, which is such a great help. This family is totally committed to giving these horses love and a high quality of life, it's just an expensive and demanding undertaking, which they handle with such kindness and grace. God bless them.
What I love most about this farm is that they raise bee's, and they collect the honey themselves, which they sell to support the care and needs of these animals they shelter. The honey is all organic, wildflower, raw, and pure liquid gold; how God intended it to be. I have had organic honey before but not raw honey, and as a Chef I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of this product. It tasted like it was right off the comb, that luscious, clean, sweet, floral, bee's wax deliciousness all mingled into super duper awesomness! Check it out:

These below are going to be the more fancy bottles that will be great for gift giving, I will link info and do a special blog post for them if anyone reading is interested in helping to support their cause.

Lastly, we went to Petch Orchards and got these fresh Zatar apples. O-M-G!!!! Such a delicious apple, it's a bit early in the season to go apple picking but that's on my fall to do list which I will blog post when the chill starts to gently come in and nip my nose. For now you can enjoy the sexy red and yellow streaks of this luscious, slightly tart, crisp, not too dense, and brown sugar, juicy sweet apple. You gotta support your local farmers and try to get some apples. Leave your comments down below and if you are interested in sponsoring a horse now or want to buy some honey, let me know. I would really love to hear from you!

Lemongrass, Ginger, Glass Noodle and Chicken Soup

It's spring and I am craving green's, lots of fresh foods, including lighter soups full of healthy and super tasty ingredients. I found my lemongrass in the freezer the other day for which I made a smoothie with but I absolutely adore it in soup; along with kefir lime leaves and Gai Lan(Chinese brocoli). I went to the Asian market for some bok choy and these noodles made from sweet potato starch which I have no problem digesting and are gluten free with the added benefit of looking so cool. They're known as glass noodles because they look transparent once they are prepared, they have a nice consistency and hold up well with the other ingredients in this soup.
People enjoy soups and always want to recreate the taste of Asian soups at home but something seems to be missing. That's because Asian food is all about layering of flavours through specific cooking methods, mixing sweet and savoury spices, and using specific sauces mixed with unique ingredients that make a dish shine. Time and patience are also an important part of cooking this way. This soup has loads of Ginger and is in a chicken broth base so it's ideal for sick days as well as when you want a one bowl meal. This one was definitely approved by the family and appreciated by the sickies I brought it to when they needed it. I think you're really going to enjoy it!
 This recipe has several steps, so I am going to break them down by section, normally I do not write recipes this way but it makes it easier for this soup.
*You can make this vegan by subbing the broth for vegetable broth and eliminating the chicken all together.

LEMONGRASS, GINGER, GLASS NOODLE AND CHICKEN SOUP:
Ingredients:
-4 full branches of ginger, thickly sliced with peel on
-4 onions chopped large pieces
-3 Tbsp sesame oil 
Method:
Oven preheated to 375 degrees F
-Line a baking tray with foil or parchement, spread sliced ginger on one side of tray and onion on other.
-Sprinkle with 3 tbsp of sesame oil on both, then roast in oven for 1 -1 1/2 hours, tossing halfway through cooking time, until caramalized.

Soup Ingredients:
-4 kefir ime leaves
-2 cloves garlic
-3 small pieces sliced ginger(optional, we love ginger in my house)
-2 Tbsp chopped lemongrass
-Asian spice mix packet for Pho soup and cheese cloth for straining or: 1 tsp mustard seed, 4-6 star anise, 2-3 black or green cardamom, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1-2 peces licorice bark or sticks of licorice spice(not the candy), 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 7 whole allspice.
-4 tbsp sesame oil mixed with 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (don't mix up the two because toasted sesame oil is SUPER strong and will overpower the whole dish)
-Green spring onion or scallion, chopped and bruised with the heel of the knife(pics below)
-Gai-lan aka Chinese broccoli, cleaned and prepared, reserved.(pics below)
-10 Chicken thighs, boned, cleaned for 15 mins by soaking in water to cover with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and 1 tsp sea salt. Then rinsed with cold water and patted dry, reserved on a plate. (keep chilled)
-4 Baby bok choy(one per person) or more if you like, cleaned, chopped and reserved. (pics below)
-10 Dried Shitake mushrooms, soaked in a cup of biling water with a dish to press them down a bit and keep them soaked. Takes at least 20 mins to soften properly, keep the soaking liquid as it is full of umami(deep flavour) that adds a lot to the soup. Slice the mushrooms once cool. (pics below)
-1/2 package of sweet potato aka glass noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water to cover and soak 15 minutes until soft. Rinse in cold water and drain, keep aside until ready.(pics below)
-7 Cups Organic chicken stock
-3 bay leaves
-Juice 1/2 lime (optional)
-1/4 Cup palm sugar
-1/4 Cup Fish sauce
-1/4 Cup coconut aminos or soy sauce of you tolerate soy (I do not so I use coconut aminos)
-1 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp pepper
-ice and 2-3 cups water

Method:

-In a LARGE stock pot with a heavy base on medium high heat, heat  2 Tbsp sesame oil mix, add chicken and brown on each side. You do not need to cook all the way through as they will finish cooking later in the soup. Add the scallion and cook 1 minute more. Reserve. When cooled a bit, shred into bite size pieces, keep aside in chilled fridge on same plate to capture the juices. That's flavour you do not want to lose!

-Add rest of sesame oil to the bottom of the pot, scrape up all the flavourful bits and leave them in the pot, add the spices and cook for 1 1/2 minute until fragrant and smelling sweet but be careful not to burn, stir constantly.

-Add palm sugar and stir, add roasted onions and ginger, stir through then add stock, and the bay leaves along with the mushroom soaking liquid.

-Add the kefir lime leaves, lemongrass and pepper, allow soup to simmer on meduim low heat for 30-45 mins.

-Using a cheese cloth lined strainer and a pot under it to catch the broth, strain the soup into the new pot.

-On medium heat continue cooking the soup, add the chicken with the juices on the plate into the soup, garlic, and the small amount of sliced ginger(optional).

-Add the fish sauce, aminos, lime juice(optional), and stir. Taste, if it's too salty add a cup of water, if it's not salty enough add the sea salt and adjust pepper lightly if needed. Cook for 20-30 mins. Add the Gai-lan for the last 4 minutes. Do NOT over cook the gai-lan as it turns bitter, once it is a bright green and cooked through but still firm to the bite, remove and shock it in cold ice water. Alternatively you can blance the gai-lan in a seperate pot in the same manner using boiling water, then shocking it in ice water I put it in the soup because I like the added flavour.

-Prepare bowl, for traditional Pho the ingredients are piled in the soup like the bok choy, gai-lan, sliced mushrooms, noodles. Then the noodles are added with the addition of asian basil and coriander, thinly sliced onions, and some mung bean sprouts with a light sprinkling of finely chopped scallion raw. I do not like any of the last items except for the basil which my shop was out of so it's not in the picture.
-Serve immediately with chopsticks and some extra soy sauce on the side if you like, although I don't recommend it because this broth is so powerful, rich in depth and flavour that the addition of comdiments in unecessary in my humble opinion.

This will quickly become a family fav. I had to make this 3 times in one week! Remember to share with someone you love!