Chicken Mami (noodle soup) and the Expat Pinoy

As I am writing this entry, I have just finished a bowl of mami from the left over ingredients I have prepared two days ago. Then it strikes me, among all the hundreds of thousands of Filipino working abroad who I would guess about 70% of which do not have families with them, I would also be guessing that most of them had had a bowl of Maggie instant noodles or a plate of Lucky Me pancit canton.
Oh well... the life of an OFW... I would also be guessing that while the expat pinoy prepares these instant noodles (too tired to prepare anything else), most or maybe all are longing for a homecooked meal prepared by their caring nanays, loving wives or dutiful daughters.... makes you homesick doesn't it? See, I think it's a bit psychological... coming home from work to an empty room with no food, you just can't help but feel sentimental with your bowl of instant noodles.
So just to at least lessen your homesickness, why don't you prepare your ingredients for a bowl of good old chicken mami which you can save for at least 3-4 days and have yourself a filling meal less the "senti mode" :)
See, the fresh ingredients could make you feel a bit energized and  at least you wouldn't feel "kawawa" naman... And the good thing about it is that you can store these ingredients separately and the next time you feel like having another bowl, all you have to do is throw in the ingredients in a bowl and reheat your stock and viola! another fresh bowl of mami to your satisfaction!

The secret to a good bowl of mami is of course in the broth. You can achieve this by making it when you have enough time and energy, maybe on a day off or a weekend while you're doing the laundry or ironing your clothes for the week.

Ingredients
egg noodles (cooked according to package instructions), drained

Broth
chicken (preferably  back of the breast with the bones, you get most of the flavors from the bones. You can also include two breasts which could be used later on as toppings for the mami)
5 cups water
1 bulb garlic
1 whole onion
1 whole carrot
1 celery stalk
spring onions
1 tsp fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste

To cook the broth, just put all ingredients into a casserole and bring to a boil by setting the heat to high. Once it starts to boil, you will notice scum forming in the surface. Watch out for this and make sure to remove them before the water reaches its boiling point, at which stage you wouldn't be able to remove them anymore. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 2 hours (or more if you have time, to bring out the flavors).

Toppings
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 chicken breasts (cooked and flaked)
2 stalks spring onions, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced and toasted

Well, I do hope you will be eating with your family or some friends, in which case divide the noodles into serving bowls, top with all your toppings then pour the hot stock. I don't know about you but I can't
 eat my chicken mami without drizzling it with some lemon and fish sauce!

Now, going back to my saying that this is ideal for the lonesome Pinoy Expat, what you can do is to store left over toppings into separate plastic containers and store in the refrigerator, make sure these toppings are dry before you store them to avoid spoiling them. With your stock, you can transfer them to smaller resealable containers or freezer bags and freeze them. Then when it's time you feel like having another bowl, just take out everything from the refrigerator, thaw the stock and bring to a boil. You can then enjoy another bowl, as fast and easy as preparing instant noodles!