What's for supper? Belinda's chicken noodle soup

Ingredients to serve 4

Belinda’s chicken noodle soup by Henry Dimbleby (Georgia Glynn Smith)

1 litre chicken stock
2 free-range chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic
200g mixed shiitake and chestnut mushrooms
100g pak choi
A large handful of fresh coriander
2 tablespoons peanut oil
200g rice noodles
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

A quick and healthy midweek supper. Belinda, my stepmother, appears effortlessly to combine managing a large extended family, a doctorate and a career with the production of enormous feasts whenever family and friends descend upon her house (which is quite often). This is one of her staple suppers.

Put the chicken stock into a saucepan, put a lid on and bring to the boil. Cut the chicken breast into small chunks.

Peel and finely slice the garlic. Generously slice the mushrooms. Chop the pak choi and the coriander roughly.

Pour the peanut oil into a hot wok or wide heavy-based pan. When it smokes, add the garlic just for seconds and immediately follow with the chicken and mushrooms. Keep tossing until cooked (about 5-7 minutes). Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and keep tossing until absorbed.

Add the rice noodles and pak choi to the hot chicken stock, put a lid on and boil for 3-4 minutes. Pour the contents of the wok into the pan of stock and noodles and sprinkle the coriander. Eat at once.

Taken from 'Leon Soups, Snacks and Salads' (Octopus, £6.99) by Henry Dimbleby, Kay Plunkett-Hogge, Claire Ptak and John Vincent, part of the Little Leons Series.