Not Your Traditional Chicken Soup

After college, I moved to Seattle where I spent 10 wonderful years.

One of the things I miss most is the wide range of Asian cuisine available in Seattle. We never said, “Let’s get Chinese.” It was always a question of whether we wanted Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Hunan—the list of options was vast.

Moving to the Midwest, I found my options in St. Charles County a bit more limited. I learned to cook different styles when I lived in Seattle, thanks to a diverse group of friends. Living here, I had to learn to get creative. My ingredients were more limited, but my tastes had not changed.

One of my favorite places to go in Seattle served the most magnificent soup. With a little imagination and a few minutes in the Asian section at , I came up with a reasonable substitute.  All of the soup ingredients are available at Dierbergs.

Dierbergs sells a curly Chinese noodle in the Asian food section that looks like the typical "ten for a dollar” ramen style noodle, but it is not fried and tastes more like the noodles I remember.  In the produce section, Dierbergs sells Melissa’s Ground Ginger in a jar. I keep a jar in my refrigerator to add an Asian flair to many dishes. It is more convenient than grating fresh ginger root.

Serves 4                                             

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil, plus 1 additional teaspoon to coat the cooked noodles
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (a condiment found in the Asian food section)
• 1 pound fresh chicken breast, sliced into strips approximately 1”x2”
• 8 ounces diced ham
• 1 package China Bowl Chinese Noodles
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced for garnish
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil in a large dutch oven. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.