Chef Sheldon Simeon says this is the recipe that reminds him most of his late mother, Juanita Janet “Joanne” Moreno Simeon. A hearty chicken noodle soup colored with red annatto seed, miki was a homey staple from the Ilocos region of the Philippines that she usually cooked for Sheldon and his brother when they were under the weather. Even though the dish had noodles already in there, the boys would eat it with bowls of rice, just to soak up every last drop. Simeon still refers to miki as his ultimate “death row meal.”
This is the deluxe version with smoked ham hock and a little bit of fresh shrimp. The hocks add a porky oomph to the soup, and you can use the shredded meat to garnish the noodles. What sets miki apart is that the noodles are often cooked in the broth until they’re soft and supple, which makes them give off their starch and thicken the luscious broth. What you end up with is a lot like chicken and dumplings. For this purpose, fresh noodles can’t be beat. Making your own miki noodles at home sounds intimidating, but for these very simple egg noodles, it’s incredibly straightforward: All you need are just a few ingredients and a rolling pin. The lye water helps to give the noodles a springy texture. Don’t worry about making your noodles look picture-perfect—rustic strands are part of the charm.
This recipe is part of Make Your Own Noodles. Check out all of the recipes—plus expert tips, handy guides, and more.
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What you’ll need
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
The Wooden Palate French Taper Rolling Pin
$50 At Goop
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Small Sieve
$8.99 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours
Ingredients
Noodles
3¾
1
1
1
¼
½
Broth and Assembly
2
1
10
2
1
2
4
2
8
1
2
1
1
Preparation
Noodles
Step 1
Mix 3¾ cups plus 1 Tbsp. (477 g) all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine.
Step 2
Whisk 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ½ tsp. food-grade lye water, and ⅔ cup plus 3 Tbsp. water in a medium bowl to combine.
Step 3
Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, incorporate dry ingredients until a shaggy dough comes together; mix in up to 1 Tbsp. more water if any patches of dry flour remain. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and cohesive, 8–10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Step 4
Divide dough in half. Working with 1 half and keeping remaining half covered, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a long, narrow ⅛"–¼"-thick rectangle. Dust lightly with flour. Starting at a short end, fold dough into thirds (do not to press too firmly; you want to keep dough from sticking to itself). Cut into ¼"-wide ribbons with a sharp knife. Gently unfurl ribbons and transfer to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
Do ahead: Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
Broth and Assembly
Step 5
Combine 2 large smoked ham hocks, 1 medium onion, halved, 4 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp. black peppercorns in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Pour in 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, adding more water if needed, until hocks are tender and meat is falling off the bone, 2–3 hours.
Step 6
Meanwhile, place 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and pour 1 cup boiling water over. Let sit until mushrooms are softened, about 30 minutes. Squeeze out rehydrated mushrooms over bowl to release as much liquid as possible, then thinly slice. Reserve mushroom soaking liquid.
Step 7
Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; reserve ham hocks. Transfer ham hocks to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle. Pick meat from hocks and tear into bite-size pieces; discard fat, skin, bones, and cartilage. Set meat aside.
Step 8
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 8 oz. skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (about 2), cut into 1" pieces, until browned on 2 sides, about 4 minutes per side. Add 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped, 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and rehydrated mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, 1 tsp. achiote (annatto) powder or ½ tsp. paprika plus ½ tsp. turmeric. Pour in ham hock broth and reserved mushroom soaking liquid and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add noodles and cook, stirring occasionally and adding up to ½ cup water if broth is getting too thick, until noodles are very tender, shrimp is opaque, and broth is slightly thickened, 10–12 minutes.
Step 9
Divide soup among bowls. Top with reserved ham hock meat, 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, store-bought fried garlic (if using), lemon-flavored olive oil (if using), and soft-boiled eggs, halved.
