Asian Chicken Noodle Soup (c)2011 LaDomestique.com **Click To Zoom**

Last  Wednesday I experienced enlightenment while slurping a bowl of Chicken Soup Noodle at Boulder restaurant, Zoe Ma Ma. You see, I usually wolf down the soft and pillowy steamed pork buns for lunch, but on that particular day a chilly fall breeze was in the air and I had a hankerin’ for soup. Little did I know how this bowl of soup would change the way I think about food.

I picked up my generous bowl of Ma Ma’s Chicken Soup Noodle and found myself a tiny table in the corner. The bowl contained shredded chicken, bean sprouts, pickled greens and delicate noodles all suspended in rich homemade broth. Little globules of fat floated on the surface with scallions and cilantro. A fragrant steam wafted over me. I already felt the comfort one seeks from a mother’s chicken soup. Hungrily slurping down noodles and broth, it occurred to me that something was missing. Salt? Seasoning? I stopped slurping and looked up at an array of condiments on the counter. I was intimidated.

I didn’t grow up eating Asian food, or very many condiments in general. In that moment I realized how little I understood about Eastern food, culture, and spices. I felt lost. Looking down at my soup and knowing I had to do something, I gathered my courage and approached the busy counter. “Excuse me”, I said, “can you recommend a condiment for the chicken soup noodle?” Someone suggested the sriracha, which I nervously grabbed and returned to my seat, mostly unharmed. The chili sauce was more like the Thai version than rooster sauce, a thin red juice with bits of chili peppers. I added a spoonful to the soup and took a careful slurp…”that’s it!” I screamed (in my head). With each spoonful my core became warmer. The fire was slowly building in my mouth. The sriracha brought a tangy- sweet – pungent flavor to the soup that perfectly complimented Ma Ma’s chickeny broth. After adding the chili sauce the piquant flavor of pickled greens was intensified. The noodles tasted sweeter and even the bean sprouts had some zip. I was beginning to understand the role of condiments in Asian food- to awaken other flavors.

This was just the beginning of my journey into Asian food, and I can’t wait to know more.

Inspired by Zoe Ma Ma, I’ve created a recipe for Asian Chicken Noodle Soup made with easily available ingredients, some I had on hand in my pantry. The bean sprouts at the grocery store weren’t looking too perky, so used bok choy instead. I found Asian fish sauce in the Thai section of a major grocery store, along with the rice noodles. Making a good quality soup from scratch may seem like a lot of work, unless you think of it as assembling. If you’ve got homemade chicken stock in your freezer half the work is already done. Rather than dealing with a whole chicken, just cook a couple of bone-in skin-on chicken breasts. Even better if the chicken is done a couple of days in advance. Making soup assembly-style means dinner can be on the table in half an hour.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients (c)2011 LaDomestique.com **Click To Zoom**

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

serves 4

Ingredients

2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well and cut into 1/2 inch slices
a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
8 cups homemade chicken broth
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
rice noodles, half a package, about 4 ounces, cooked according to package directions
1 small head of bok choy, about 1 pound, leaves cut into bite size strips

For Garnish

4 scallions
1 handful cilantro
1 lime, cut into 4 slices
sriracha sauce

Cook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Season the water with a couple of pinches of salt. Heat the pot over high until the water boils, then bring it down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to cool while you make the soup.

Make the soup and cook the rice noodles separately according to package directions. Place a heavy soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the vegetable and sesame oil. Once the oil is warm, toss in the garlic, leeks, and ginger. Sweat the ingredients over medium low heat for five minutes. Do not allow them to get brown. After five minutes it’s time to pour in the chicken broth and fish sauce. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes to tenderize the leeks and infuse the broth with flavor.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken breasts. Remove the skin and separate the meat from the bone. Slice or shred the chicken according to your preference. Set the chicken aside and discard the bones and skin.

Just before serving the soup, toss in the bok choy and simmer for 1 minute. Add the chicken and heat through. Drain the rice noodles and divide them into each diner’s bowl. Ladle the soup over the noodles. Serve the soup with garnishes at the table so each diner can season to their preference.