NGTV ENGLISH EXCLUSIVE
CHEF AABHIK’S 15-MINUTE MONSOON SPECIAL: VIETNAMESE-STYLE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Kolkata, August 25, 2026: Monsoon cravings often call for something warm, comforting and delicious—and Chef Aabhik, exclusively for NGTV English, brings a quick Bengali-inspired take on Vietnamese-style chicken noodle soup that can be prepared in just 15 minutes.
Inspired by the concept of Pho, this home-friendly version skips elaborate ingredients and adapts the recipe to suit the everyday Indian kitchen. While traditional Pho is generally known for its slow-cooked beef broth and aromatic spices such as star anise and cinnamon, Chef Aabhik’s version focuses on convenience, flavour and rainy-day comfort.
INGREDIENTS
For the Chicken:
- 1 thinly sliced chicken breast
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp Aromat powder
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp oil
For the Broth:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1 tsp chopped spring onion
- 2 ladlefuls chicken stock or water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp Aromat powder
- ½ tsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp cooking wine
For Assembly:
- 1 pak choi, cut into quarters
- 1 pack boiled rice noodles
- 2 soft-boiled eggs
- Chopped coriander
- Chopped spring onions
METHOD
Begin by preparing the chicken. Marinate the thinly sliced chicken breast with salt, sugar, Aromat powder, cornflour and water.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok and sauté the chicken until it turns opaque and is cooked through—approximately 4–5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
Using the same wok, add another tablespoon of oil followed by chopped garlic, ginger and spring onion. Sauté until fragrant.
Pour in the chicken stock or water and add salt, sugar, black pepper, Aromat powder, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and cooking wine. Bring the broth to a gentle boil.
Add the quartered pak choi and blanch it directly in the broth for around one minute, keeping it slightly crisp and tender.
For the final assembly, place the boiled rice noodles in a serving bowl. Add the cooked chicken, blanched pak choi and soft-boiled eggs. Pour the steaming broth over everything and finish with freshly chopped coriander and spring onions.
CHEF AABHIK’S MONSOON VERDICT
This isn’t intended to be a strictly traditional Pho. Instead, Chef Aabhik’s recipe gives the Vietnamese noodle-soup concept a practical Bengali-home makeover—quick, comforting and packed with savoury flavours.
Some may find the combination closer to a ramen-style noodle soup, but that is precisely what makes this recipe approachable: it brings together Asian-inspired flavours with ingredients and techniques that are easy to recreate at home.
Perfect for a rainy evening, this 15-minute bowl of chicken, noodles, greens and hot aromatic broth could become your new monsoon comfort food.
NGTV ENGLISH FOOD DESK
Chef Aabhik’s Monsoon Special — Quick. Creamy-free. Comforting. Absolutely Slurp-Worthy!
NGTV ENGLISH EXCLUSIVE
