Shiitake, Bok Choy, Shrimp & Chicken Soup

[fitfool]

I love being unexpectedly treated to a home-cooked meal. Manisha (a Friend Of A Friend) was puttering around the kitchen making this soup and some chicken teriyaki. I adored this soup so much that I went home and repeated it the next day with some minor modifications. She had used chicken bouillion cubes and I decided to use some chicken thighs since they were on sale. Don't worry about being exact with this recipe. She said it's pretty forgiving and you can basically boil the ingredients until it smells and tastes like soup.

6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 chicken thighs
fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup or 2 ounces)
lots of bok choy (a.k.a. Napa Cabbage)(pictured to the right)
1-2 cups frozen cocktail shrimp

1. Pour about 6 cups of water into a pot, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil.
   
2. While water heats, remove skin from chicken thighs and add to the pot of water. Skim away any scummy-looking foam rising to the top and discard the foam.
   
3. Cover the frozen shrimp with cold water and set it aside to thaw.
   
4. Discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and slice. Add to the pot once you're done slicing and continue simmering.
   
5. Pick off about 3 large stems from the bunch of bok choy. Wash the bok choy and cut into bite-size pieces about 1-inch long. Set aside. This timing is pretty approximate. I let the chicken and mushrooms simmer for 45 minutes trying to let the broth deepen in flavor before I added the bok choy. Let simmer for another 15 minutes after adding bok choy.
   
6. Add thawed shrimp and simmer until heated through. (maybe 3 minutes)
   
7. Remove from heat and serve.
   
8. (optional) Remove chicken from soup. Debone the chicken and roughly chop the chicken into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones and put the shredded chicken back into the soup.
   

Thread in cooking

Comments

[jessacord.livejournal.com]

That looks yummy and unbelievably simple -- the best kind of recipe! And as always, the photos accompanying your post are wonderful.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Thanks. When we watched her make the soup, I had thought, "That sounds simple enough that I could do it." And then when we tasted it, I thought, "Yummy! Now I HAVE to try making it."

[medwriter.livejournal.com]

That looks delicious. I am going to give it a try. Thanks!

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Hope you like it!

[kitarra.livejournal.com]

The looks delectably light and tasty! I am going to have to try it!

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Oh yes...light and tasty is a good way to describe it :)

[imbue-myblue.livejournal.com]

Oh, that has my name on it. Soup is the best.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

That's how I felt too when I tasted it at my friend's place. I have to try making that!

[versimilitant.livejournal.com]

Nice to see you back. Soup sounds perfect today.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Mmm...yes I had it again today. Hope you enjoy the soup if you make it.

[angel-vixen.livejournal.com]

So very glad to see you back (I squealed happily when you posted your second most recent recipe).

Question: as chicken thighs are not on sale just now, do you remember how many cubes of bouillion your friend added? Bouillion isn't really one of those things you can "add to taste," so I ask. ^_^

AngelVixen :-)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Well cool..such a warm welcome. Do I know you under a different name on my friendslist? Sadly, I entered the kitchen after she had already started the soup so I don't know. I think you could go off the directions on the box of bouillion though...1 cube for however many ounces of water and calculate it that way to get chicken broth.

[isneezeii.livejournal.com]

ah looks so tasty, so tasty.

would love to have that and fried rice with my new ingredient du jour- avocado oil. i think you could make a "cali" style fried rice, right? i'm thinking sausage, diced tomatoes, and shallots?

would that be too strong a flavor though? i can't tell if this soup would be too light or if it would have some underlying "swarthy" flavors from the shrimp, chicken, and mushroom mix. what do you think? would plain rice go better? or perhaps just a salad?

in any case, can't wait to try the soup for sunday dinner.

welcome back foodness, and a very happy new year to you! :]

[cwhf.livejournal.com]

I am so making this. Yum!