Thai Coconut Soup

I hosted a Girl's Night at my house the other day.  It was a lot of fun.  There was food, movies, nail polish, games, and drinks all ready (ok, mostly ready) when the ladies arrived.  However, the only thing we did was eat the food, drink water (most of the ladies were pregnant) and talk until midnight.  Next time, I won't have anything else planned but just good food as we all ate a lot.
Here is what my sister made for the evening (as I was busy making Cheesy Potato Soup and Dinner Rolls):

Thai Coconut Soup (also known as Tom Ka Gai)
Warning: I've never measured anything in this recipe and my sister and I make it slightly differently.  Use the recipe as a guideline only.
1/2 onion-chopped
1 garlic clove-chopped
1-2 carrots (depending on the size)  
1/2 cup-red bell pepper-chopped
1/2 of an anaheim chili-chopped  
1 chicken breast
some tofu if you'd like extra protein (don't worry, it won't taste like tofu, it will taste like soup)
2-3 cups chicken stock (or just 2-3 cups of water and 3 t. chicken Better than Bouillon )
1 can coconut milk
dime size bunch of rice noodles
some: salt, pepper, lime juice, white sugar or palm sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes if you want it spicier
1/4 bunch of cilantro-chopped


Saute the onions, then add the garlic and chicken (maybe with some salt and pepper).  Cook until the chicken is cooked and then remove the chicken breast and chop it .  Add the carrots, red bell pepper, anaheim chili, and chicken stock. Cooked covered until carrots are semi soft (they'll continue cooking as you finish up the soup so be careful not to overcook them).  In the meantime, use another pot to cook the rice noodles according to package directions (you could also use rice if you didn't have rice noodles).  When the carrots are soft, add the tofu, chopped chicken, coconut milk, and noodles.  Now comes the fun part.  Get a tasting spoon ready and taste often during the seasoning of the soup.  Squeeze some lime, 1 T. sugar, 1 t. soy sauce, 1/8 t. ginger, and red pepper flakes if you dare...taste it.  Oh, and don't forget to throw in the cilantro.  Now, maybe it needs some more lime, maybe some sugar, try a little more soy sauce.  Maybe you need some salt or for a richer taste, throw in a little more chicken better than bouillon.  Taste again! Be creative! Throw some more of whatever is your go-to seasoning for fixing soup.  Taste again.  Eventually it will be just the way you like it and you'll eat the whole pot of soup. That's ok; this soup is pretty healthy.
P.S. This is a gluten free recipe and can easily be made into a vegetarian dish as well.