Asian Noodle Soup with Chicken and Snow Peas

One of my go to sources for quick, easy and tasty recipes is Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. It has usually has such a great variety of different items each month, from main meals to desserts and the ingredients used are easy to find in most peoples cupboards or at the local grocery store. They are also usually fast on a weeknight which is a "good thing" as Martha would say.

A recipe I recently tried was the Asian Noodle Soup with Chicken and Snow Peas in the latest edition, May 2009, issue 62. I am a big fan of Asian noodle soups, be it Chinese noodle soup or my very favorite - Vietnamese Pho beef noodle soup which I get at a local Vietnamese restaurant. The trouble is with every recipe I see for Pho, there is usually such a long list of ingredients and lengthy cooking time, I've always been too lazy to tackle it.

This recipe looked like it might be a good chickeny subsitute without all of the time and trouble. It turned out well but there were certainly not the complex flavors and aromas of a Pho. It is a nice light soup with lots of good, slurpy noodles to satisfy that craving. I do recommend a shot or two of chili sauce to finish it off and give it a bit of a kick.Asian Noodle Soup with Chicken and Snow Peas

8 oz. rice noodles

2 cans (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 piece of lemon grass (3 inches) smashed

1 piece of peeled fresh ginger (1 inch) cut into matchsticks

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed and halved

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (I didn't use this ingredient)

Asian chili sauce (such as Sriracha)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles per package directions. Drain noodles and set aside. In a saucepan, combine chicken broth, lemongrass, ginger and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until fragrant, about 10 minutes.

In a fine mesh strainer, strain broth and return to saucepan. Add chicken and snow peas and simmer until chicken is cooked through and snow peas are tender. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, pour soup over noodles. Top with mint, additional lime wedges and chili sauce if desired.