Today's recipe

The middle of the week can sometimes leave many searching for inspiration and lacking the motivation needed to produce a quick and healthy evening meal. Thinking about what I am going to do for my evening meal today made me realise just how quick, easy and convenient the following recipe is and it doesn't just stop there. The nights are closing in, there are bugs aplenty making us all feel miserable and the cold is starting to set in, so what could be better that a filling, comforting and warming soup that is also incredibly healthy and supportive of your immune system?

I do this fairly regularly as a "go to" quick fix meal and it is a very basic, but super tasty chicken noodle broth. The ginger will help your immune system and give off a warming heat to give your metabolism a boost and make your tastebuds jump for joy. The garlic is good for the heart and we all know how good it feels to have chicken noodle soup. This one is just taken up a gear to give some extra benefits and flavour and it never disappoints.

Pho Chicken (Asian Chicken Noodle Broth)

Feeds 2

You will need:-

2 chicken breasts
1 large carrot
1 inch fresh ginger **
1 clove garlic
150g noodles (Flat rice noodles, any egg noodles or my favourtite, udon noodles)***
2 star anise
1 red chilli, sliced into thin rings
100g mange tout
1.5 pints chicken stock
1/4tsp chinese 5 spice
small handfull fresh coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:-

Cut the chicken breasts into strips, grate the garlic, ginger and carrot and put it all into a large saucepan with a teeny bit of oil, but not olive oil as this will change the flavour. Cook over a medium heat just to seal the chicken and start the ginger, garlic and carrots for 1-2 minutes. Now add the stock hot, along with the star anise and five spice, bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, add the noodles. Whatever type you use should only take 2-4 minutes to cook, so add these, the mange tout and a few slices of chilli at the same time. Continue to simmer until noodles are done and finally, season well with salt and pepper to taste and add the chopped fresh coriander. You can also add some chopped spring onions to serve as well if you like.

Divide evenly into deep bowls and top with some extra chilli if you like a bit more heat.

There's only one way to eat this broth and that is LOUDLY! Use chopsticks, spoon, fork...in fact use whatever takes your fancy. There is no getting away from the fact that this can only and should only be eaten with lots of slurping, wiping of the chin and sucking up the noodles like your best impression of Lady and the Tramp. There's only one way to finish it too, and that is to cup the bowl in your hands and drink the broth straight from it. There are times in life for manners and etiquette, and there are times in life for not giving a jot and just enjoying what is in front you...this broth requires a definite dose of, "I don't give a damn" and you'll enjoy it all the more for getting a bit messy!

** I know a lot of people don't use fresh ginger as you can take an inch off the end and by the time you next go to use it, it's shrivelled up to nothing. I use ginger all the time, so am constantly buying it, BUT...I still use the following shortcut so that I know I will never get caught without and it is just as useful for those of you that won't use it as often.
Freeze it! Buy a decent sized ginger root and when you get home, peel it, chop it into 2 inch lengths and wrap each really well in cling film or put into seperate freezer bags. When you need it, all you do is take a piece out of the freezer, grate off as much as you need, re-wrap and pop back in the freezer. It'll last for a year in there so long as it is wrapped well and means no need to buy it again and again or substitute for less flavoursome alternatives. It's also easier to grate when frozen so you'll be a winner all around :-)

***I would always use dried noodles or fresh egg noodles for this, not straight to wok noodles. Dried noodles of any kind will cook in 2-4 minutes depending on thickness and fresh egg noodles should just be added a couple of minutes after the mange tout just to cook for a minute before serving.
I would not use fine noodles for this recipe as it benefits so much from the texture of more substantial noodles.