Star anise, cinnamon, chili, ginger and garlic makes a fragrant broth for cooking chicken or seafood. The smell was spicy, warm and seductive. After the solid ingredients were gone, there was extra broth left over. It was strained and placed it a freezer for a future dish of steamed or braised fish.
Asian-Inspired Shrimp and Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. peanut oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise, left whole
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. Asian chili garlic paste
- 3 c. low-sodium chicken stock/broth
- 1/8 c. sherry
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1/2 c. water
- 1/4 to 1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 lb. of medium to large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 5 baby bok choy
- 8 to 10 oz. Asian soba wheat or white noodles
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions
- Heat peanut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add cinnamon sticks and star anise. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add ginger, garlic and chili paste. Stir until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, sherry, honey, water and soy sauce. Bring stock to a boil. Cover and reduce to a low heat. Let soup simmer for at least 30 minutes to one hour.
- Meanwhile, clean bok choy by cutting and discarding the stem. Then cut in half length-wise and cut into quarters. Roughly chop into smaller pieces (no more than 3 chops). Rinse bok choy three times to remove dirt. Place aside.
- Prepare noodles according the package’s directions, but cook the noodles al dente. When finished, run cool water over noodles to stop them from cooking and place aside.
- Add the bok choy to the broth. After three minutes, add shrimp and spring onions. The bok choy and the shrimp should cook a total of four to five minutes or until shrimp is thoroughly cooked. Do not overcook the ingredients.
- Serving the soup: Place noodles in bowls. Ladle soup over noodles. Garnish with green onions.