Fast Chicken Noodle Stew for 1 Much Better Than Ramin

By T. Woolfe on September 01, 2004

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Ingredients

1/2 large boneless skinless chicken breast, from the freezer cubed to stick sized chunks ( a whole one if they are small)
1/2 tablespoon oil, for the stir fry.
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken base (paste) or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, in a cup of water or 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock or 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon roasted garlic, if you don't have it just skip the garlic altogether
1 teaspoon dried celery flakes or 1 stalk celery, med fine dice
1 teaspoon crushed dried shiitake mushroom
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon dried green onion
1 teaspoon dried white onion
1 tablespoon carrot, very fine dice (optional)
1/3 lb fresh udon noodles or 1/3 lb soba noodles (my favorite) or 1/2 cup dried flat egg noodles or 1/2 cup ramen noodles

Lay everything out on your board because like stirfry it goes FAST.
Put all the dried (or fresh substitutes: You'll want to use your own judgment here, just mix and match, or if you're using fresh, around 1/2 cup total.) in a container for fast addition.
Put the splash of oil in the wok and crank up the heat.
Immediately add the ginger so it doesn't scorch, and then the chicken chunks.
Chow the chicken and ginger together until the chicken is no longer translucent.
Add the chicken base and water or the broth/stock.
Immediately add all the veggies and/or dried veggies.
If you're using dried noodles add now, or if fresh wait 3 minutes.
Add the fresh noodles and simmer for another 4 or 5 minutes.
Pour in a bowl and enjoy.
I learned to use the sticks in the early 50s in Korea while I was a voluntary guest of Uncle Sam.
Lately the crippled hands make it difficult.
I found a nifty gadget at my local sushi takeout place called a Fun Chop, it's a little flexible plastic bar thing that holds the sticks rather like an inverted print A.
it works!