FOODCOMMANDER is a showcase for a new, original cooking show. Watch it now on YouTube.

Episode 6: All Souped Up!
(Chicken Noodle Soup with Vegetables)

Ingredients

Chicken broth or chicken stock (at least 2 cups per person, see Notes)
Shredded cooked chicken meat (use leftovers from a roast chicken)
Soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles) or other Asian noodles
Cubes of firm tofu (optional)
Assorted vegetables (any combination of celery, carrots, scallions, fennel bulb, zucchini, bok choy, broccoli, snow peas, sugar snaps, cabbage, mushrooms, etc.)
Fresh Cilantro (optional)
Leafy greens such as spinach, watercress, or lettuce leaves
Toasted Sesame oil or chili oil (to taste)

Put shredded chicken meat and/or tofu into the soup bowls out of which the soup will be eaten.
Wash the vegetables. Trim the ends, peel carrots. Cut vegetables on the bias into very thin slices. using a mandoline or a sharp knife. If using Broccoli, break it into small florets. Toss vegetables together with sprigs of cilantro and divide them among the bowls.
Wash the leafy greens, cut them into strips (or tear them into bite size pieces) and add them to the bowls.
4. Bring broth to a boil. Cook noodles directly in the broth (the noodles will absorb much of the cooking liquid, so make sure you have plenty of broth).
When noodles are cooked through, lift them out of the broth and divide them among the bowls. Pour boiling hot broth over them until vegetables are covered.
Drizzle sesame or chili oil over the broth and serve immediately.

Do not overcrowd the bowls with vegetables and condiments; there needs to be enough room so they can be covered with broth.
This dish is inspired by a Vietnamese technique. Do not use Italian pasta for this dish. An Italian brodo con pasta is something else altogether, and it will be presented by the FOODCOMMANDER in another episode.
No industrial product can compare to homemade chicken stock. Making it from scratch is easy, and you should do it at least once to understand what real chicken stock tastes like:

Put cut-up pieces of raw chicken (necks, backs and wings preferred) into a large stockpot and cover by two inches with cold water.
Bring to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down.
Diligently skim off the foam that rises to the top.
Add a halved onion, split carrot, celery stalk, bay leaf and bundled-up parsley, and aromatics such as peppercorns, cloves, lightly crushed ginger root and coriander seeds. Do not add salt until ready-to-use.
Lower an inverted, heat-resistant plate into the broth to keep ingredients submerged. Simmer everything on very low heat for up to two hours.
Drain through a colander and discard vegetables and carcass.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for later use.
If this is not an option, rely on bouillon cubes, canned chicken broth, packaged gourmet chicken stock or concentrated chicken stock base. Try to find the best option and be prepared for the worst. Avoid products containing MSG: it signals a lack of natural flavor.