Asian-Inspired Noodle Soup

When you're feeling a bit under the weather, I've always been told to eat soup - chicken noodle soup to be more accurate, but on the day I made this soup, I didn't want anything to do with any chicken.  I was kind of craving the familiar flavor found in a lot of Asian dishes, but not craving the typical sodium surcharge.

I call this dish Asian-Inspired because it probably doesn't really exist.  I know that there is often talk of which noodles are appropriate with certain dishes and I'm sure there's some commentary on the seasonings, but I made do with what I had and that was fine with me.

I apologize in advance for not having real measurements, because let's face it, when I made this dish, blogging about it wasn't my utmost priority, feeling better was.  But after I made it, I couldn't let it go unrecorded.

Asian-Inspired Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
mung bean threads*
chicken broth
low-sodium soy sauce
fresh ginger
frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, corn)
Chinese (Napa) cabbage, chopped
spring onions, sliced
*salt to taste (because I make my own broth and don't add salt)

Directions:

1. Boil enough water to cover mung bean threads with and also for the liquid part of the soup.  (If mung bean threads are to be used in soups, they have to be soaked by pouring boiling water over them and allowed to stand for 20 minutes.)
2. After pouring the boiling water over the bean threads, add the chicken broth (I used my frozen broth) to the remaining of the water and bring it to a boil.  
3. Add soy sauce and freshly grated ginger.  (I grated half of my piece and threw the rest of the chunk in for good measure.)  Be sure your ginger has been peeled first.
4. Add a little salt to season it with.
5. Add the frozen mixed vegetables and cook until halfway done, then add the chopped cabbage.
6. Drain the mung bean threads and add them to the soup.
7. When the cabbage is slightly wilted, the soup is done.
8. Top with sliced spring/green onions.

*  A word about mung bean threads - Mung bean threads do not have a flavor of their own.  Whatever dish it is placed in, it absorbs the flavor of that dish.  That is one of the reasons I added them into the soup even though they had already been softened.

Making this dish has reminded me to stock up on some Asian noodles on my next trip to an Asian Market.

Enjoy,