Christina Toh’s Chicken Soup is unforgettable. I lived with Christina for a while during college at WVU in Morgantown, West Virginia. She grew up in Malaysia with domestic help, so this recipe wasn’t exactly a family recipe, but rather her attempt to recreate tastes of home. Christina really wasn’t much of an eater. We’d grocery shop together because she didn’t have a car, and she would fill the frig with food that she would never get around to consuming. I think she just liked having a full larder in case the inspiration to cook arose. I loved this soup. Christina, can you make that soup again, please?
Christina was a journalism major destined for big things. We fell out of touch and I haven’t been able to find her. Christina, where is the world are you? How are you doing?
Christina Toh’s Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken thighs shredded
- 3 ounces bamboo shoots rinsed and drained
- 2 ounces ham or Canadian bacon do NOT omit!
- 4 leaves cabbage
- 2 ounces wood ear mushrooms
- reserved cooking liquid from the mushrooms
- 6 ounces rice stick noodles
- 5 T olive oil
- 8 shrimp medium, shelled and deveined
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 t salt
- 2 T tamari
- ⅛ t pepper
Instructions
- Soak rice sticks in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 minutes – Drain well and set aside.6 ounces rice stick noodles
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms – Break the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and put them in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms and let them steep for at least 15 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid.2 ounces wood ear mushrooms
- Sauté the ham with the bamboo shoots and the mushrooms – Sauté for only long enough for the ham to begin to brown slightly.3 ounces bamboo shoots, 2 ounces ham or Canadian bacon, 2 ounces wood ear mushrooms, 5 T olive oil
- Assemble the soup -Add the remaining ingredients except the rice noodles. Cook soup for 5 minutes.8 ounces chicken thighs, reserved cooking liquid from the mushrooms, 8 shrimp, 6 cups chicken stock, 2 T rice vinegar, 1 t salt, 2 T tamari, ⅛ t pepper, 4 leaves cabbage
- Add noodles – Cook until tender.6 ounces rice stick noodles
Notes
I can still hear Christina’s voice in my head – she had a very refined accent and beautiful hands. And that laugh – gleeful. She was so adorable, and charmed everyone that she met. But not everyone was lucky enough to share Christina Toh’s Chicken Soup. I was the lucky one.