Poached chicken in citrus Wakame Broth

All the comfort of Jewish Chicken Soup, minus the schmaltz, plus Thai freshness and clarity. One to be enjoyed in health and in sickness.

1. Prepare a stonker of a good chicken stock. Any free-range chicken carcass will do.

2. Soak 5g of wakame in some water, drain when rehydrated, and chop coarsely (swearing optional but keep the chunks to about 2-3 cm square).

3. Chop and mince the Usual 3 (garlic, ginger and chilli). Also add a couple of kaffir lime leaves… Just discovered they sell these things in jars, shredded and preserved.. SO much better than the desiccated items we’ve been forced to use so far, really give a kick.

4. Add to the 1 litre of the stock, and poach a couple of chicken breasts in it (this is for 3 very hungry people). For about 10 minutes, then let cool in the broth for another 10 while you:

5. Cook the soba noodles (100g approx). I see no reason why one wouldn’t do this in any residual stock you may have left – plus extra salt.

6. Strain the noodles. Extract the chicken from the stock and slice/shred thinly, and then strain the poaching stock of its store of solids. Return to pan.

7. Chop some bok choi, put into the strained stock, and simmer ever so slightly just to take the rawness of – heat it up, even.

8. Montage time. Combine wakame, some fresh bean sprouts, the bok choi, the strained noodles and the chicken together with the stock and add 80ml of zesty fresh lime juice, and a couple of spoons of Nam Pla. Technically you’re meant to assemble this in the dish and pour a bit of the stock over it but judicious scooping from the well-mixed pan should probably do it. Fresh, zingy, light yet satisfying. I believe the Health Points are at pretty much maximum level. Enjoy!