Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 litre good-quality chicken stock
• Half garlic bulb, sliced
• Good-sized thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
• 3 cooked skinless chicken breast (fry them then shred them)
  • Cut up breasts into four large strips, then fry them until they caramelise on outside
• 200g dried fine egg noodles (3-4 nests)
• 6 spears Tenderstem broccoli
• 100g frozen peas
• Lemon grass (I used two of the dried ones from herb bottles)
• 2-3 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
• 4 spring onions, trimmed (the ones with the large bulb)
• Handful beansprouts, rinsed
• Shitake mushrooms
• chilli or sesame oil (optional)

Instructions

• Pour the chicken stock into a pan and add 400ml water. Add the garlic, lemon grass and ginger to the stock. Slice up the spring onion bulbs, lightly fry them until caramelised and add. Set the pan over a very low heat for 5 minutes to gently simmer and to allow the garlic and ginger to infuse. Can leave this for longer, its not going to hurt.
• Season well with pepper. Can add chili flakes at this point too if feeling keen. Care with salt as the stock will have a lot.
• Add sliced mushrooms at this point …
• Shred the chicken breast into small, length slices and add to the stock with the egg noodles.
• Simmer the broth for 2-3 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the chicken is hot. If using, cut the broccoli into 5mm and thinly slice the spring onions. Add to the pan with the peas and with the soy sauce and simmer for a further minute.
• Add the beansprouts to the soup and warm through for 30 seconds. Divide among two deep bowls and serve with a drizzle of chilli or sesame oil, if you like.
• Serve with spring onions tops and black sesame seeds.