Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup with Sesame and Green Onions

My friend Candy followed this recipe for a soup dinner at our book club last night: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chinese-chicken-noodle-soup-with-sesame-and-green-onions-106192 

The chicken was tender and I loved the flavor of the broth with the fresh ginger and other ingredients. 

 
Ingredients:
 
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)*
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce**
4 cups chopped Napa cabbage (from 1 head)
6 green onions, thinly sliced
8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 14-ounce package fresh yakisoba noodles or Chinese pan-fry noodles
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
 
Directions:
 
Stir chicken, soy sauce, Sherry, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in medium bowl to blend. Let stand 20 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
 
Whisk garlic, tahini, ginger, sugar, vinegar, and chili sauce in small bowl.
 
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and green onions and sauté until cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Add chicken with marinade and tahini-garlic mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
 
Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Add to soup in pot. Stir in half of cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
 

* Sold at Middle Eastern markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets.
 
** Available at Asian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Pork, Shrimp, and Bok Choy Soup with Ginger and Garlic

Pork, Shrimp, and Bok Choy Soup with Ginger and Garlic

 

I saw several recipes recently that had bok choy, so I wanted to make some soup. I adapted from several recipes and came up with this tasty soup, which I made last night. 
 
4 to 6 Servings depending on having this for dinner or lunch.
 
Ingredients
 
1 T. avocado oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger, minced
4 c. low salt chicken broth
1.5 c. water
5-6 whole cloves (or 2 whole star anise)
3 T. soy sauce
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced [I prefer shitake mushrooms but didn’t have any on hand]
1 c. cooked roast pork, sliced or shredded chicken
6 large shrimp, peeled
2 small heads bok choy, chopped
2 nests of medium rice noodles (see photo below)
 
Chopped scallions for garnish
 
Directions
 
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for about a minute to bring out the flavors.
 
Add the chicken broth, water, cloves and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
 
Add the mushrooms, pork, shrimp, bok choy and noodles. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the noodles are tender and the shrimp cooked through.
 
When serving, top each bowl with the chopped scallions.