Chinese 5 Spice and Udon Noodle Broth

I love this dish.  It is clean, fresh, light and easy but packs a big flavour punch with the chinese 5 spice and the zesty asian flavours of ginger, garlic and chilli.  The good news for all you vego's out there......you can substitute the chicken with fish or firm tofu!

You will need:

Serves 2

For the broth:

2 cups of water
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
5cm piece of ginger, chopped roughly
2 garlic cloves, skin on and squashed
1 tsp of sesame oil

For the soup:

1packet of fresh Udon noodles
1 large chicken breast
2 tsp of chinese 5 spice
1 tsp of sea salt
1 bunch of choy sum, washed and sliced into 5cm pieces
1 punnet of fresh shitake mushrooms
4 green onions, washed and sliced into 5cm batons (set aside some of the tops for garnish)
14 snow peas, topped and tailed and strings removed
1 long red chilli, sliced diagonally (seeds removed if you prefer)
a little drizzle of sesame oil to finish

In a saucepan combine all the broth ingredients.  Allow the broth to simmer for around 1/2 an hour with the lid on so all the lovely flavours infuse.  Drain the stock through a strainer, reserve the liquid and discard the other ingredients.

To break up the noodles, place them in hot water for a couple of minutes, loosen them gently with a fork and drain.  Divide the noodles among 2 serving bowls

For the chicken, in a mortar and pestle grind the sea salt and the chinese five spice together.  Lightly oil the chicken breast and sprinkle with the 5 spice mixture, making sure the chicken is coated evenly.  Heat some oil in a pan and lightly fry the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side and then place in a preheated 180 degree oven for approximately 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.  Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing diagonally.

Place the raw vegetables and mushrooms in clumps on top of the noodles (snowpeas together, mushrooms together and so on).  Arrange the chicken in a fan like fashion on top of the vegetables and ladle the boiling stock over the chicken, veg and noodles.  Top with a sprinkling of red chilli, green onions and a small drizzle of sesame oil.

Allow the soup to rest for a couple of minutes to cool slightly and your vegies will be cooked to perfection!