Sparks from the Kitchen

I based this soup on the Curried Udon Soup in the Birthday 2014 issue of BBC Good Food.  I LOVE curry and don’t cook with it as often as I should. This is a wonderfully warming, light soup which is surprisingly filling and satisfying thanks to the chicken, shirataki noodles and tons of veggies.

I find that shirataki noodles are really great for soup because they don’t get mushy or disintegrate like regular pasta noodles and they reheat perfectly. I cook them separate initially to get rid of the moisture and incorporate a bit of sesame and curry flavor into them. I like this brand the most. If you’ve never cooked with them don’t worry-they’re easy. I’ll explain fully below.

Yummy? check

Healthy? check

Easy to make? check

Chicken Curry Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped small
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp yellow curry* separated
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 8oz packages Tofu Shirataki spaghetti noodles, drained, rinsed and drained again
• 1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 16oz package frozen stir-fry veggies (I used Trader Joe’s)

Instructions:

1. In a dutch oven or large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook almost completely. Add the onion and cook for a minute. Add the 2 tbsp curry powder and stir. Add the coconut milk, a bit at a time, stirring. Add the chicken broth, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
2. While the soup is cooking put the sesame oil in a pan over medium/high heat. When hot add the noodles and stir for a few minutes to evaporate some moisture.  Add the remaining curry powder and continue stirring and cooking until almost dry. Remove from heat.
3. Add the vegetables and cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Place 1/4 of the noodles into the bottom of each bowl. Ladle 1/4 of the soup over the noodles.

Note: for left overs store the noodles separately from the soup. Add the noodles before reheating.

Regarding the preparation of the noodles: they are packaged in liquid. To prepare pour the noodles into a colander and shake off as much moisture as possible.  Rinse them with clean water and drain again.  At this point you can put them aside until they’re ready to use. I find that cooking them in a pan until they’re almost dry really makes a difference.

*I used the British Curry from Teeny Tiny Spice Company of Vermont.