Ingredients:

4 cups homemade chicken broth

or one 32 ounce box Imagine Organic Chicken Broth 

2-3 inch piece of ginger 

2 cloves of garlic minced or pushed through a garlic press.

1 baby bok choy

1 stalk of lemongrass

3 stalks of celery from the inside of the celery bunch

1 leek

1 cup shelled edamame 

Bean Noodles - Saifun is my preference 

1 cup cooked shredded chicken or 1 cup LOCAL shimp 

1 handful of cilantro, washed and coarsely chopped.

1 avocado

2 green onion

1 roma tomato

Hot sauce - optional

Peanuts  -optional

1 egg - optional

Heat the broth to a boil and then turn to low simmer

Add the ginger and garlic.  A note about ginger.  There are several ways to cut it up: grated, sliced into match sticks size pieces or cut into thin round discs.  I have done all these methods, and, of late, I am preferring the latter of the three. There seems to be more ginger flavo,r and there is no chance you will accidentally bite into ginger.

A note about lemongrass. I cut the lemon grass approx in half.  Tossing the end out. Then I take a hammer and give the lemongrass an easy tap with the hammer to open up the flavor.  Toss those pieces in with the ginger and garlic.

Let this steep while you prepare the other ingredients and add the ingredients in this order.

Chop celery into nice chunky size - add flavor that doesn't need salt

Edamame - Fabulous source of protein

Leek - Cut the white part in half length wise and then slice into half inch or so pieces.

Bean Noodles - Drop one of three sections in the package into the broth and stir to help separate the noodles.

When the noodles are done, so is the soup.

Egg.  Pour one egg into a glass.  Spin the soup around, and slowly pour the egg into the middle of the swirling broth.  Let it sit.  It will poach in no time.  Optional.

Sprinkle on top of each serving : cubed avocado, same size pieces of tomato, big pinch of cilantro, and a scattering of sliced green onions.

Add a few splashes of hot sauce.

For Asian dishes, I like one of three very different sauces.  Two of the sauces I prefer are Island made.  Rob Kirby's "Heat", better than Tabasco,  and the other local sauce is made on Lopez and has goji berries and cacao, more of a smokey flavor  Both of these 2 sauces are in my shop, Wood's Cove and will be available online soon, www.gonebeachy.com  The third one is Tiger Sauce, found in all markets. It is a little sweeter than most. 

Enjoy!