Everyone knows that chicken soup has healing powers. It's a fact based on years of scientific research and old wives’ tales. I know that the warm chicken broth and slurpy noodles that my grandmother prepared (straight out of the can) made my snuffled nose and general allover terrible feeling almost worth it. I got to thinking about this lately because I've been bogged down with a terribly autumn cold in the middle of July, thanks to the never-ending rain here in Paris.
Traditional chicken noodle soup is good and comforting but it's well...traditional. On a healing power scale from 1 to 10, traditional chicken noodle doesn't hold a candle to this Asian inspired recipe. Not only do you have the steaming goodness of a delicious chicken broth but you also get an energizing sweat inducing kick in the pants from the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai pepper. You are warmed up and cleared up immediately or your money back guaranteed.
The other advantage is that it only takes 20 minutes to throw together. I managed to squeeze it in between my morning and mid-morning couch napping sessions in front of the TV. By the time you are finished preparing the vegetables, the broth is already simmering and infused with really intense flavor. It is as close as you can get to non-instant instant soup and it definitely beats the can of Campbell's.
Hint: I have developed a secret technique for the noodle stage of this process. I don't cook the noodles in the broth because I can't stand when they get that overcooked nondescript texture, especially the day after. Instead, I prepare the noodles separately and dress them with a little oil. Then you spoon the broth over the noodles as needed so that they maintain their form.
