Chicken Meatball and Bok Choy Soup with Noodles

This soup takes a bit of time to prep, but comes together quickly once the components are ready. This is one of my favorite lunches and it freezes really well, too... which is good, since it’s hard to make less than 8 servings without ingredients going to waste…

Chicken Meatball and Bok Choy Soup with Noodles
Modified from a recipe at FoodandWine.com

   400g firm tofu
   600g ground chicken (or turkey)
   6 tablespoons finely chopped water chestnuts
   5 scallions, finely chopped
   4 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
   1 2/3 cups chopped cilantro, divided
   4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
      Salt and freshly ground white pepper
   16 cups chicken stock
   2 – 10 small red chiles, thinly sliced
   2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
   0 – 2 teaspoons sugar (to taste… will depend on tartness of the limes)
   500g dried Asian egg noodles
   1 teaspoon peanut oil (or substitute any mild-flavored oil)
   3 shallots, thinly sliced
   750g baby bok choy, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
   4-5 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
      Sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 350̊ Fahrenheit. Place tofu in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until relatively smooth. Combine the tofu with the chicken, water chestnuts, scallions, ginger, 2/3 cup of cilantro, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for ~30 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the broth, noodles, and shallots: For the broth, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chiles, lime juice, sugar (if needed), and remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the noodles to the broth and cook until just done (usually about 3-4 minutes). Remove the noodles from the broth and set aside. For the shallots, heat the peanut oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the sliced shallots, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Set aside.

Now that the individual ingredients are ready, return the broth to a simmer and assemble the dish: Divide the noodles evenly among 8 bowls. Next divide the bok choy among the bowls, followed by the tomato, the remaining 1C of cilantro, and then the shallots. Divide the meatballs evenly among the bowls. Top each serving with a light drizzle (~1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon) of sesame oil. Finally, divide the hot broth evenly among the bowls and serve.

Makes 8 generous servings.