Rice Noodle and Baby Bok Choy in Lemongrass-Chili Broth

Me: I am making a noodle bowl. Do you want it? I can make it extra for you.

My uncle from Myanmar : No, I don’t want to eat. I need to lose weight before I go back to Yangon. I am just going to watch a movie.

Me: Okie.

*Then, I proceeded to make this noodle bowl with pungent, intense, sweat-invoking firey broth, made with lots of lemongrass, chili, ginger and garlic. As I walked back to the living room with the piping hot bowl to watch movie, I saw the look from the sofa. It was my uncle. His eyes glowed like Liz Lemon when she saw leftover ham. I knew that look – I have been rewatching 30 Rock. And, worse, I knew what was about to come.

I sat down on the floor, and put my bowl on the coffee table. My uncle slowly migrated from the sofa to the coffee table, ultimately ended up sitting next to me.

My uncle : What are you eating?

Me: The noodle soup that I asked if you wanted it or not.

My uncle: Oh yea, I don’t want it.

Me: Good.

My uncle: But, can I taste one spoon of broth?

Me: Ok. One spoonful, because I made the exact amount I wanted to have.

My uncle took a spoonful, but still lingered. As soon as I tried to reach for my spoon back, he said, “one more spoonful”.

Me: I told you. I made the EXACT amount I wanted to eat. You should have told me you wanted it before.

My uncle: Why are you so American?

Me: Please stop touching my food.

Later, I found out that he told people that this broth is one of the best things he had in the United States. Haters might want to attribute my uncle’s heightened pleasure to the meager portion I provided.  However, I assure you once you make this quick bright broth once, you will try to find many reasons to make it again.

This broth is a derivation of Western Burmese noodle soup called “Rakhine Mote Thi.” Traditionally it is made with fish broth and lots of galangal. Instead, we’re using pungent fresh lemongrass, aromatic garlic and ginger, firey Thai chilis and comforting chicken broth. The lime adds a sharp sourness, the fish sauce a musky salinity and the baby bok choy adds crunchy texture and acts as a cool palate cleanser. The sum of these disparate ingredients transports you to a new, foreign place; such is the alchemy of cooking. 

Warning: This broth is hot and pungent. The faint-hearted might need to pass; the brave will be hugely rewarded. 

For the recipe, check out at Jade Asian Greens Website.

*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Jade Asian Greens*

Why I work with Jade Asian Greens?

• Their products are 100% US-grown on a family farm in Oxnard, California.
• They are grown close to the facility = less traveling time = more freshness and more sustainable.
• The company works strategically with other farmers in the area to rotate crops to promote healthier soil.

For more information of their products and delicious recipes, please check out their Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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