Poached Pheasant Salty B*tch Noodle Soup

Pheasant seems to have unfairly earned itself a bit of a bad reputation. They not only deceive as seemingly big daft birds that have a kind of country road death wish, they’re often thought of as being overly dry and gamey when cooked. Well, let me tell you, any game will be overly gamey if you hang it too long, and any bird can be dry if you cook it wrong.

Whilst you can substitute pheasant for chicken in many dishes, they certainly do not cook the same - on a most basic level chicken holds more water and fat than pheasant so it doesn't dry out as quickly when cooking.

I have cooked pheasant in so many ways over the years but the one I always go back to is to poach and pull it. Pheasant breast meat can be more fickle to cook than similar birds, and this slightly less heat-aggressive approach ticks both of the boxes of ease and versatility. It's also a great way to use that bag of last season's pheasant breasts at the bottom of your freezer! 

You can very easily discard any less desirable bits of shot damage, bruising or feathers once poached that occasionally comes with the nature of eating meat harvested in the field.

This is my go-to for when you’re feeling a bit under the weather and want to give yourself a healthy kick up the arse. And even more so you can poach the pheasant breasts in the broth rather than in a separate pan of stock for more flavour (and less washing up). Not guaranteed to stop you being a salty b*tch though! 

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat then add the garlic, ginger, half of the chilli and finely chopped coriander stalks until it all becomes fragrant (approx 1 min). 
2. Add the spring onions, and mushrooms and season with black pepper and 1 teaspoon of Kimchi salt. 
3. Fry for 2 minutes
4. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce. 
5. Pour in the chicken stock, add the pheasant breast and bring to the boil. 
6. Once bubbles start to appear, turn it down to a simmer. 
7. Simmer the pheasant breast for 4-5 minutes, remove from the broth using a slotted spoon or tongs. 
8. Let them rest for 2 minutes and then shred them using two forks. 
9. Let the broth simmer for another 12-15 minutes whilst you are shredding the pheasant. 
10. Pop the fresh egg noodles and the sliced pak choi into the broth for 3-4 minutes. 
11. Add the pulled pheasant back in, and combine the meat in the broth with the noodles and vegetables. 
12. Ladle into bowls, squeeze lime juice over the top, and garnish with remaining coriander leaves, sliced red chilies, spring onions and another big pinch of Salty B*tch Kimchi salt.
13. Devour the lot. Probably when it’s still too hot. 
14. Feel like a new born again healthy person, but still with a touch of Salty B*tch. Naturally.