Chicken soup with rice noodles

1 Put chicken, 4 litres of water, salt, ginger and onion in a large pot and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
2 Remove the chicken. Cut off breasts and legs and set aside. Return the carcass to the pan. Add fish sauce and peppercorns and cook gently for 2 hours, skimming if necessary. Strain stock through a fine sieve.
3 Bone the chicken breasts and legs, and finely slice the meat.
4 Parcook noodles, if necessary. Bring stock to the boil, add noodles and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Divide between 4 soup bowls, add sliced chicken and top with spring onions.
5 Put lime quarters, chillies, mint, coriander and bean sprouts in separate bowls and let your guests add these to their soup, according to taste.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 50 minutes