Thai chicken and potato soup

Toss the chicken drumettes with fish sauce in a flat dish and let marinate while prepping; in a deep bowl the sauce sinks to the bottom.

Put plain water in a pot with cut onions, cilantro stems, crushed garlic and soy sauce, and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken gently so it does not splatter, bring to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes so the chicken turns tender and the bones flavour the broth.

Skim the floaties off the top if you like; they do not affect the taste.

Taste the broth before adding the potatoes and season with a touch of salt rather than more soy or fish sauce, which would darken it.

Add the potatoes, press them down and cook 10 more minutes.

Add the Roma tomatoes and a touch of ground white pepper, stirring now before the tomatoes soften; cook about 5 more minutes until the tomatoes are very soft but still in one piece.

The chicken needs 30 minutes in total; add the potatoes earlier if cut bigger and later if cut smaller.

Finish with chopped cilantro without stirring too much. Serve over rice or as a separate soup.