Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

Researching soups last week to make for the Country Market I discovered that Campbell's No2 bestselling soup, after Cream of Tomato, is Chicken Noodle.

I have seen a recipe for it on the back of a pack of vermicelli, but it seemed a rather dull insipid affair on yet another chilly day in March, so I perked mine up with some Chinese flavours.  Dad & I thought it was delicious.  But the conservative pensioners at the market were not tempted in the least.

Serves 4, heartily

1 boned free range chicken thigh or small handful cooked chicken
1 litre water
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
Handful frozen sweetcorn
1 small leek, finely sliced
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
1 layer Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles

Simmer the uncooked chicken in the water for 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat and take the chicken out of the water to cool whilst you prepare the other ingredients. Reserve the cooking liquid.

When everything else is chopped and grated, shed the chicken into small spoonsized pieces. Place all the ingredients apart from the noodles, soy sauce and sesame oil back into the liquid you cooked the chicken in and bring back to the boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the noodles, crumbling them as much as you can in your hands.  Simmer for another 5 minutes then add the soy sauce and sesame to taste.