Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3 shallots (diced)
- 1 bunch of green onions (chopped, green, and white divided)
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons of ginger (fresh, minced)
- 5.5 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth (or water for vegan)
- 2 whole stars anise
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (or Tamari for a Gluten-Free option)
- 10 oz of crimini mushrooms (sliced)
- 6 oz of rice noodles
- 1.5 heads of bok choy (roughly chopped)
- sesame seeds (for topping)
- red pepper flakes (for topping)
Instructions
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat.
- Pour the diced shallots into the oil and stir well. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat, or till the shallots become translucent and soften. Stir the mixture frequently.
- Remove the white and green parts of each green onion by cutting off their ends. Chop the green section and set it aside as a garnish. Meanwhile, carefully cut each green onion’s white half.
- Toss the shallots with the white-colored part of the green onions, ginger, and minced garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until both the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
- Allow the water or chicken stock (or a combination of both) to simmer in the pot. Pour the soy sauce and stir into the mixture in the pot. Afterward, cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the cover from the pot and carefully take out each star anise from the broth, discarding them.
- Add the uncooked noodles, bok choy, and sliced mushrooms to the mixture in the pot and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, just until the bok choy and noodles get soft. Add salt and pepper to season the mixture.
- To serve, divide the soup among bowls and top with sesame seeds, green onion greens, and red pepper flakes (if preferred).
Notes
- The flavor of star anise is not for everyone. However, it is essential to the flavor of the soup. If you don’t like it or don’t have any to use in your recipe, you’ll find that cinnamon sticks work well as a substitute.
- If you want to include some protein in your recipe, feel free to introduce some chopped chicken or shrimp into the soup around 5 minutes before serving (provided that the chicken has already been previously cooked).
- If preferred, low sodium soy sauce and unsalted chicken broth can be substituted for a lower sodium diet.
- Cilantro can also be added as a garnish if desired.