Thai Coconut-Chicken Soup

It's a soup sort of day. This is what I'm making for dinner tonight, and if we're lucky, there will be leftovers for lunch tomorrow...


Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cellophane or thin rice noodles
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (best quality you can afford)
• 1–2 red Thai (or jalapeño) peppers, seeded and finely chopped (plus slices for garnish)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, divided
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each), cut into 2 1/2-inch-long by 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1 full can of light coconut milk
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh bright green snow peas
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (plus sprigs for garnish)
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


Preparation:

Place cellophane noodles in a bowl then add just enough warm water to cover them and let sit until soft. (about 15 minutes) Drain noodles. Combine chicken broth, peppers, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, lime juice and 3 tablespoons of the fish sauce plus the brown sugar into a medium saucepan. Now season with a bit of salt. Bring to a broth to a gentle simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer noodles to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Add mushrooms to broth and season with a tiny bit more salt then simmer 3 minutes more. Add chicken and coconut milk and bring to a simmer, stirring, until chicken is just cooked through, about 3 minutes or so. Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, (about 1 minute) Add roughly chopped cilantro and season with remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce and red curry paste. Using tongs, divide noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of pepper.

{delish recipe found on Epicurious}