The Kinky Coconut: Lemongrass, Ginger, Glass Noodle and Chicken Soup

It's spring and I am craving green's, lots of fresh foods, including lighter soups full of healthy and super tasty ingredients. I found my lemongrass in the freezer the other day for which I made a smoothie with but I absolutely adore it in soup; along with kefir lime leaves and Gai Lan(Chinese brocoli). I went to the Asian market for some bok choy and these noodles made from sweet potato starch which I have no problem digesting and are gluten free with the added benefit of looking so cool. They're known as glass noodles because they look transparent once they are prepared, they have a nice consistency and hold up well with the other ingredients in this soup.
People enjoy soups and always want to recreate the taste of Asian soups at home but something seems to be missing. That's because Asian food is all about layering of flavours through specific cooking methods, mixing sweet and savoury spices, and using specific sauces mixed with unique ingredients that make a dish shine. Time and patience are also an important part of cooking this way. This soup has loads of Ginger and is in a chicken broth base so it's ideal for sick days as well as when you want a one bowl meal. This one was definitely approved by the family and appreciated by the sickies I brought it to when they needed it. I think you're really going to enjoy it!
This recipe has several steps, so I am going to break them down by section, normally I do not write recipes this way but it makes it easier for this soup.
*You can make this vegan by subbing the broth for vegetable broth and eliminating the chicken all together.

LEMONGRASS, GINGER, GLASS NOODLE AND CHICKEN SOUP:
Ingredients:
-4 full branches of ginger, thickly sliced with peel on
-4 onions chopped large pieces
-3 Tbsp sesame oil
Method:
Oven preheated to 375 degrees F
-Line a baking tray with foil or parchement, spread sliced ginger on one side of tray and onion on other.
-Sprinkle with 3 tbsp of sesame oil on both, then roast in oven for 1 -1 1/2 hours, tossing halfway through cooking time, until caramalized.

Soup Ingredients:
-4 kefir ime leaves
-2 cloves garlic
-3 small pieces sliced ginger(optional, we love ginger in my house)
-2 Tbsp chopped lemongrass
-Asian spice mix packet for Pho soup and cheese cloth for straining or: 1 tsp mustard seed, 4-6 star anise, 2-3 black or green cardamom, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1-2 peces licorice bark or sticks of licorice spice(not the candy), 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 7 whole allspice.
-4 tbsp sesame oil mixed with 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (don't mix up the two because toasted sesame oil is SUPER strong and will overpower the whole dish)
-Green spring onion or scallion, chopped and bruised with the heel of the knife(pics below)
-Gai-lan aka Chinese broccoli, cleaned and prepared, reserved.(pics below)
-10 Chicken thighs, boned, cleaned for 15 mins by soaking in water to cover with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and 1 tsp sea salt. Then rinsed with cold water and patted dry, reserved on a plate. (keep chilled)
-4 Baby bok choy(one per person) or more if you like, cleaned, chopped and reserved. (pics below)
-10 Dried Shitake mushrooms, soaked in a cup of biling water with a dish to press them down a bit and keep them soaked. Takes at least 20 mins to soften properly, keep the soaking liquid as it is full of umami(deep flavour) that adds a lot to the soup. Slice the mushrooms once cool. (pics below)
-1/2 package of sweet potato aka glass noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water to cover and soak 15 minutes until soft. Rinse in cold water and drain, keep aside until ready.(pics below)
-7 Cups Organic chicken stock
-3 bay leaves
-Juice 1/2 lime (optional)
-1/4 Cup palm sugar
-1/4 Cup Fish sauce
-1/4 Cup coconut aminos or soy sauce of you tolerate soy (I do not so I use coconut aminos)
-1 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp pepper
-ice and 2-3 cups water

Method:

-In a LARGE stock pot with a heavy base on medium high heat, heat 2 Tbsp sesame oil mix, add chicken and brown on each side. You do not need to cook all the way through as they will finish cooking later in the soup. Add the scallion and cook 1 minute more. Reserve. When cooled a bit, shred into bite size pieces, keep aside in chilled fridge on same plate to capture the juices. That's flavour you do not want to lose!

-Add rest of sesame oil to the bottom of the pot, scrape up all the flavourful bits and leave them in the pot, add the spices and cook for 1 1/2 minute until fragrant and smelling sweet but be careful not to burn, stir constantly.

-Add palm sugar and stir, add roasted onions and ginger, stir through then add stock, and the bay leaves along with the mushroom soaking liquid.

-Add the kefir lime leaves, lemongrass and pepper, allow soup to simmer on meduim low heat for 30-45 mins.

-Using a cheese cloth lined strainer and a pot under it to catch the broth, strain the soup into the new pot.

-On medium heat continue cooking the soup, add the chicken with the juices on the plate into the soup, garlic, and the small amount of sliced ginger(optional).

-Add the fish sauce, aminos, lime juice(optional), and stir. Taste, if it's too salty add a cup of water, if it's not salty enough add the sea salt and adjust pepper lightly if needed. Cook for 20-30 mins. Add the Gai-lan for the last 4 minutes. Do NOT over cook the gai-lan as it turns bitter, once it is a bright green and cooked through but still firm to the bite, remove and shock it in cold ice water. Alternatively you can blance the gai-lan in a seperate pot in the same manner using boiling water, then shocking it in ice water I put it in the soup because I like the added flavour.

-Prepare bowl, for traditional Pho the ingredients are piled in the soup like the bok choy, gai-lan, sliced mushrooms, noodles. Then the noodles are added with the addition of asian basil and coriander, thinly sliced onions, and some mung bean sprouts with a light sprinkling of finely chopped scallion raw. I do not like any of the last items except for the basil which my shop was out of so it's not in the picture.
-Serve immediately with chopsticks and some extra soy sauce on the side if you like, although I don't recommend it because this broth is so powerful, rich in depth and flavour that the addition of comdiments in unecessary in my humble opinion.