There's nothing I like more in the winter months - both to make and to eat - than a good homemade soup. Today's recipe is light, flavorful and super aromatic - my house smelled SO good as it was cooking!
As a tip - I'd never used star anise pods before, and I wasn't exactly sure where to find them. I eventually located them on the international foods aisle (which is also where you can find dark sesame oil and brown rice noodles). I removed them from the soup before serving.
Ginger Chicken, Shiitake and Scallion Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2016
6 green onions
2 tsp dark sesame oil
4 oz shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
4 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 star anise pods
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 oz brown rice noodles (pad thai)
Dash kosher salt
Dash black pepper
Cut white parts of onions into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add white parts of green onions and half of the sliced mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock, garlic, anise and ginger to the pan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.
Add chicken to pan and reduce heat; simmer for 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat.
Prepare noodles according to directions. Cut green parts of onions into 2-inch sections. Add onions, cooked noodles, salt, pepper and remaining 2 oz mushroom caps to the soup. Remove star anise pods and ladle into bowls.
Until next time...
Cheers!
