Chicken Soup With Cabbage, Noodles, Tofu And Chili - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
6 None green onions
2 medium hot red chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coarsely chopped ginger
1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stems reserved
2 None boneless skinless chicken breasts
7 oz Chinese egg noodles
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
4 oz tofu, cubed
None None Peanut oil
6 leaves Chinese cabbage, left whole if small, or chopped, or a combination

Preparation

Place the chicken stock and 4 cups water in a saucepan. Coarsely chop 3 of the green onions and add, along with 1 chopped chili pepper, garlic, ginger and cilantro stems. Slowly bring to a gentle boil - this will extract more flavor- then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 20 mins; it should not bubble. Turn off the heat and leave the stock to infuse for 5-15 mins.
Meanwhile, remove all fat from the chicken, rinse and pat dry. Cut the chicken into strips of a similar thickness. Cut the remaining green onions and chili pepper into slivers and set aside. Place the noodles in a colander and rinse well under running water.
Strain the stock into a bowl then return it to the pan, adding 1/2 tsp salt. Return to a gently simmer on low heat. Add the soy sauce and chicken. Poach for 5-6 mins, until the chicken is just cooked through (the water should be rippling, not bubbling. To check if the chicken is cooked, remove the thickest piece from the stock and slice into the middle). Transfer the chicken to a cutting board with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Meanwhile, cook the tofu in a little peanut oil in a small skillet until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the noodles to hot stock and cook for 2 mins. Add the cabbage and cook for about 2 mins, until crisp-tender but not soft. Slice the chicken and add to the soup along with the tofu and cilantro leaves. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved chili pepper and green onion.