"Six more weeks of winter" calls for soup

I woke up this morning, took one look outside, and decided that it was chicken noodle soup weather. The wet, snowy conditions (and reports of local flu outbreaks) make me crave the warm hearty soup of my youth - heavy on the garlic for extra germ protection. My parents, by the way, make the best chicken noodle soup in the world. I remember, in elementary school, I would come home after school, and my mom would have a pot of soup on the stove, filling the house with its comforting, savory fragrance. "Just a little after school snack," she would say. It was so good, and ever since I left home for college, I've been trying to re-create it, with varying degrees of success. Even using the same recipe, it somehow never tastes quite the same as I remember it.

So, I'm browsing around on Epicurious this morning, and just came across this recipe. It's a departure from chicken noodle soup as I know it, but it sounds absolutely delicious. Maybe instead of trying to duplicate the chicken noodle soup of my childhood, I can start mastering my own variation. I will report on the results.

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup with Sesame and Green Onion

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

Preparation

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.

Photo by Brian Leatart taken from Epicurious (originally published in Bon Appetit).