My littlest Sprout came home sick from school today. Her tummy was upset but she wanted chicken soup (vegetarian of course). We had leftover Chicken Coconut soup from last night, which, dispite it's name, was pretty light, so I reheated some of that and she was happy on the couch with PBS and the cats for company.

I "invented" this soup by combining two of our family favorites: "Chicken" Noodle and Thai Coconut, though I think there is a form of it available in some thai restaurants... Yum.

Thai Coconut Chicken-Noodle Soup

2 stalks lemongrass OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
1 package Thai rice noodles
1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
4-6 cups vegetable broth or vegetarian "chicken" broth (6 cups serves 3-4 people)
1/2 package firm tofu, cubed and browned, OR wheat gluten or soy chicken (or other meat substitute), cut into bite-size pieces (I use Morning Star Soy Chicken Strips)
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces - like bok choy or Napa Cabbage works well...

1-2 carrots, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 can good-quality coconut milk
roughly 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
Optional: Thai or Vietnamese chilli sauce

Put the rice noodles in a pan of boiling water.

Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soak in the hot water while you make the soup.
Place broth in a soup pot along with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces), ginger, and tofu or "Chicken-style" seitan.

Let it boil, then turn down to simmer while you chop up the vegetables.

Add the chopped carrots first, then the broccoli and finally the cabbage.

Stir it and simmer 2 more minutes.
Add the coconut milk and stir in. Reduce heat as low as possible.
Add soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add 1-2 tsp. chilli sauce (OR simply serve it on the side for those who like it).
Do a taste test - if it's too salty (this depends on how salty your broth is), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice.
Check rice noodles to make sure they are cooked (if still a little hard, boil briefly). Drain the noodles and add to soup.

Serve with fresh cilantro or basil sprinkled over.

Major Yum.