thai chicken-coconut soup

Ingredients:

4 ounces cellophane noodles

4 cups chicken broth

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 small red pepper- seeded and julienned

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each), cut into 2 1/2-inch-long by 1/4-inch-wide strips

2 cups coconut milk

2 teaspoons sugar

3 cups baby spinach

2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (plus sprigs for garnish)

Direction:

Place noodles in a bowl; add enough warm water to cover and let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.

Sautee mushrooms and red peppers over moderate-high heat in a nonstick pan with 1 T butter with a pinch of salt until lightly browned. Set aside.

Sautee the chicken in 1 T butter over moderate-high heat until almost cooked through, Set aside. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine chicken broth, jalapeño pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon juice and fish sauce in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer noodles to the individual soup bowls.

Add mushrooms and peppers to broth. Add chicken and coconut milk and sugar. Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Add chopped cilantro.

Ladle the soup over the noodles into bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

Serves 4