Some varieties of noodles suggest soaking them in boiling water instead of cooking them; check your package instructions before preparing them.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　7 ounces wide rice sticks

　　6 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock

　　2 lemongrass stalks, bottom 8 inches only, trimmed and crushed

　　16 slices (1/4 inch thick each) jarred or canned bamboo shoots

　　1 piece (1 1/2 inches) peeled fresh galangal or ginger, thickly sliced

　　8 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves, plus more thinly sliced for garnish

　　3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

　　Juice of 2 limes

　　1 tablespoon palm or granulated sugar

　　4 fresh Thai chiles, thinly sliced

　　2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each), cut into 1/2-inch-thick, 2-inch-long strips

　　3 ounces snow peas, trimmed

　　3 ounces oyster mushrooms

　　1/2 cup chopped (1/2-inch pieces) Chinese yard-long or green beans

　　1/4 cup chopped garlic chives or scallions, plus more for garnish

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles; cook according to package instructions, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

Bring the stock, lemongrass, bamboo shoots, galangal, and 4 lime leaves to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat; simmer 8 minutes. Stir in half of the fish sauce, half of the lime juice, half of the sugar, and half of the chiles; cook 4 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the chicken, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Taste, and add more fish sauce, sugar, or chiles as desired. Discard the lemongrass and lime leaves. Stir in the snow peas, mushrooms, beans, chives, and remaining 4 lime leaves. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining lime juice. Divide the soup and noodles among 6 serving bowls; garnish with lime leaves and chives.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.