Pregnant women have limited treatment options for colds in pregnancy for safety reasons as not all treatments are safe for the fetus. In place of common treatments, pregnant women often opt for Jewish Penicillin or chicken soup.

At the start of World War II, the Jewish population in Vietnam was about 1,000. Anti-Jewish laws were put into effect as a result of the war limiting the number of Jewish children who could attend public schools. Jewish public officials were let go from their jobs. The laws, though repealed in 1945, set the stage for negative feelings in the country. There are very few Jewish people living in Vietnam today with most living there for jobs and not as Vietnamese citizens.

INGREDIENTS

8 cups chicken broth
2 tb nuoc mam
2 tb fresh lemon juice
6 spring onions, slivered
1 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
6 ounces uncooked cellophane noodles

DIRECTIONS

1. Use a kitchen knife to chop the cellophane noodles.
2. Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with cold tap water.
3. Soak for 30 minutes then strain.
4. Place a small stock pot on the stove.
5. Add chicken broth, nuoc mam and lemon juice to the pot.
6. Separate the spring onions to white and green.
7. Add the white onions to the pot.
8. Heat the broth to boiling.
9. Turn heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
10. Strain the soup to remove the scallions.
11. Place one serving of noodles and chicken into soup bowls.
12. Ladle the soup broth over the noodles and chicken.
13. Serve.