Duck Soup with Vermicelli and Vegetables: Homemade Recipe

Step-by-step recipe

1. The tastiest duck soup comes from a duck breast simmered with its skin on. The stock turns out rich, a lovely golden color and very fragrant. We simmer the breast with spices and add the vegetables only once the meat is done. The best choice is a farm duck rather than a broiler. Break a whole bird down into parts right away; each can go into a separate dish. Be sure to clean the breast of any bones and large pieces of fat.
   
2. Duck, like chicken, releases a lot of foam into the stock once the water boils, which makes it cloudy. If you like, bring the water to a boil at the very start, then rinse the breast and continue cooking it in fresh water. This guarantees a clear soup without losing any flavor or richness. Pour 6 cups of water into a pot and add the prepared breast. To keep the spices from floating in the soup, put them in a sachet bag and discard it once the stock is ready. I add 5-6 black peppercorns and 1-2 bay leaves. That is basically enough, but I recommend adding 1 tsp dried lemongrass, 0.5 tsp coriander seeds and a small dried chili pod.
   
3. Bring the water with the spices and duck to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the breast at a barely noticeable simmer for about 45 mins. It is important that the stock does not bubble hard, only barely simmers. By the way, do not salt the stock: the duck soup is salted at the very end. This keeps the natural flavor of the duck meat. Take the cooked duck out of the stock, put it on a plate and cover with an upturned bowl.
   
4. Peel the potatoes, onion and carrot. Slice the carrot into rounds, not too thick, so that it has time to cook and give the soup a noticeable sweetness. Cut the potatoes into wedges and the onion into thick strips. Remove the spice sachet from the stock and discard it. Add the vegetables to the stock and cook until tender. Usually the vegetables are done in 20-25 mins. If you like, cook the potatoes longer: as they break down, they will thicken the soup a little.
   
5. Salt the duck soup to taste and turn up the heat so the stock comes to a boil. All that is left is the vermicelli. For soups we usually use fine Italian filini soup pasta. Half a cup is enough for two servings of soup. This pasta cooks in no more than three minutes, so the soup should be salted and seasoned to your liking before the vermicelli goes in. Stirring the soup with a spoon, pour in the vermicelli.
   
6. Keep stirring and cook the soup with the vermicelli until done. Like any pasta, the vermicelli in soup should be al dente. The package gives the exact cooking time for the result you want. Do not overcook the vermicelli. With a sharp knife, cut the duck breast across the grain into slices no more than 1 cm thick. Put the meat into soup bowls and pour the hot soup over it. The dish is ready to serve. There is no need for fresh herbs, but a few white bread croutons will not go amiss, they are delicious. Serve the soup hot; it does not reheat well, so make just enough for one meal.
   
7. Soups like this can be made not only from the breast but also from the leg: after cooking, take the meat off the bone and add it to the soup. Or from the carcass: there is not much meat on it, but the stock comes out very rich. If the stock is too fatty, skim off the excess fat with a spoon or a paper towel.