Recipe - Coconut Curry Soup Explosion

One fourth pound Soba noodles
OR dried thin spaghetti
2 teaspoon Coconut milk
2 cup Chicken broth
1 Lemongrass stalk (no leaves)
cut into 1inch lengths
4 sl Fresh galangal (thin slices)
OR ginger
3 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 tablespoon Curry powder (or more)
2 teaspoon Grated lime peel
(or finely minced)
2 tablespoon Lime juice
4 Hot red chilies
seeded and slivered; OR
2 teaspoon Chinese chili sauce
4 Chicken breast halves
(skinless and boneless)
1 tablespoon Oriental sesame oil
8 Button mushrooms
Salt; to taste
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

ADVANCE PREPARATION: Bring 5 quarts of water to a
rapid boil. Add the noodles and cook until just
tender in the center, about 5 minutes. Immediately
drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Mix in
the cooking oil and set aside.

In a 3quart saucepan, combine the coconut milk,
broth, lemongrass, galangal or ginger, fish sauce,
curry powder, lime peel and juice, and chilies or
chili sauce. Set aside.

Cut the chicken into very thin bitesize pieces, then
mix with the sesame oil. Thinly slice the mushrooms
and set aside.

LASTMINUTE COOKING: Bring the soup to a simmer and
cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the chicken
and stir gently with a spoon to separate the pieces.
Then add the mushrooms, noodles and salt. Turn into a
soup tureen or individual bowls and garnish with
cilantro sprigs. Serve at once.

Serves: 4 as an entree, or 6 to 8 as the soup course.

Source: Chopstix by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison
ISBN: 1556701330

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini