Lily's Mi-Fen Soup

I'm posting this recipe for Manda. I won't be able to put any measurements or amounts on it for a number of reasons. It depends on the package size of mi-fen (rice noodles) you have, and, well, I tend to make large portions. At any rate, here are the ingredients of the most recent version I made. Oh, and by the way, for lack of any imagination, I don't have an exotic or fun title for this soup yet.

Lily's Mi-Fen Soup

Ingredients:

mushrooms (ready-cut makes my life much easier)
shittake mushrooms
firm tofu
opa (or opo; I have trouble remembering the spelling because I know this vegetable by it's Taiwanese name) squash
diced tomatoes (canned is acceptable)
bamboo shoots (canned)
wood ears
chicken breast
chicken broth
onion / garlic
a package of mi-fen
salt
soy sauce


As the soup base, I use mostly water and a good amount of chicken broth. Everything, except the chicken breast and mi-fen can go into the soup.

In a pan, put in some onion or garlic with some olive oil. Do not turn the stove on high heat. It does something unhealthy to the olive oil. Medium heat will do. Once you can smell the onion or garlic, stir fry the chicken breast. When the chicken breast is well cooked, set it aside.

Once everything in the soup pot is boiling, add the mi-fen. Be careful not to overcook the mi-fen. If it is overcooked, it breaks apart VERY easily. It's hard to tell exactly how long the mi-fen needs to cook. When the soup is brought to a boil after the mi-fen is added, use a utensil to see how pliable it is. If it's rather tough to break, it needs to cook a bit longer. When the mi-fen is just about ready, add in the chicken breast, followed by the salt and soy sauce.