Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

It's that time of year! Chicken soup time! Here's a soup that hits the spot when you want chicken noodle soup plus crave Thai or Vietnamese food. It's a mash up of many different cuisines and cultures, making it an answer to many different tastes. 

Ingredients: 

8 oz rice noodles

2 cups water

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp chicken soup stock base

1 can light coconut milk

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 onion, sliced vertically

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp turbinado sugar

2 carrots, peeled, then peeled lengthwise into strips

2 baby bok choy, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Anaheim chili, seeded, deveined, and chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 4 or 5 inch lengths

2 cooked chicken thighs, shredded (see note)

2 Tbs chopped Thai basil

2 Tbs chopped mint

Directions: 

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the rice noodles according to directions, usually about 5 minutes. Drain. Make the soup stock in the pot used to cook the noodles, by mixing the mist paste, soup stock, coconut milk and water together. Bring to a boil, stir to make sure everything is well mixed. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the curry powder and sugar, stirring so that it doesn't scorch. Add the onion mixture, along with the vegetables, lemongrass, and the chicken to the soup stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook a few minutes, just until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is hot. Remove the lemongrass.

Note: if you don't have cooked chicken, use fresh chicken. Slice it into 1/2 inch by 1 inch pieces, then add it to the cooked onion mixture. Stir and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about another 3 or 4 minutes. Then, add the onion and chicken mixture to the broth along with the vegetables. 

To serve, place some of the cooked rice noodles in a bowl. Top with some of the chicken vegetable soup, then garnish each bowl with some of the Thai basil and mint. 

Serves 2 generously, or 4 as a side dish or starter

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I find that it's hard for me to keep fresh ginger, well, fresh. Instead, I buy frozen minced ginger that comes in convenient 1 tsp portions. I find Dorot Brand at Trader Joe's in their frozen food section. Dorot also makes frozen garlic, which is useful if you don't use garlic very often!

Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Wine Sauce

Chilean Sea Bass is my first choice whenever I see it on a menu at a restaurant. I've had it prepared so many ways, and it's always delicious! Chilean Sea Bass is wonderful on its own, simply sauteed in a small amount of olive oil and butter, but it also takes well to many sauces. This is one of my favorite sauces, simple, healthy, yet full of flavor. 

Ingredients: 

1-1/4 lb Chilean Sea Bass

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 lemons, 1 sliced, the other juiced

1/4 cup white wine, I used savignon blanc

1 additional tsp butter

2 Tbs capers 

2 Tbs fresh parsley or basil

Directions: Heat the butter and the olive oil in a skillet placed over medium heat. Add the lemon slices and cook until slightly brown, then turning to brown the other side. Remove the lemon slices. Add the seabass to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Perfectly cooked seabass will flake easily and will be opaque all the way through. Remove the cooked fish from the pan, covering it to keep it warm. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the white wine, lemon juice, the additional butter and capers. Swirl until the butter melts and the liquids simmer for about 30 seconds. The sauce will thicken slightly. To serve, cut a medallion of fish, top with a lemon slice, then some of the sauce. Garnish with parsley or basil. 

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Let's talk about sustainable fish. I keep tabs on the seafood watch, as it changes from time to time. Sea Bass is a tender white fish, that retains its firmness and has a subtle flavor. Giant sea bass from the Pacific are still close to endangered and should be avoided, but Chilean Sea Bass is managed and is considered a viable option by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. It's a bit pricey but is absolutely delicious for a special occasion ... or when I find it in the fish section at Costco!