Dear ailing listsibs (or just hungry ones)
Ok, here's a try at the Thai noodle soup recipes. Here is a site that has some good, authentic recipes. The ones I love are the Lemongrass soup and the Thai Chicken Coconut soup. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/thai/thai.html

The recipes on the web call for some pretty exotic ingredients, at least if you live in rural Virginia. Here's what I really do at home.

Chicken Coconut Soup
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Southeast Asian Broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla) - there's really no substitute for this. Soy sauce doesn't taste the same
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar - raw is nice, white or light brown is fine
2 Tbsp Oriental chili tamarind paste or 1 Tbsp. chili garlic paste or just tabasco sauce to taste
1 can straw mushrooms (or some other cooked or canned mushrooms)
1 can baby corn, cut into pieces
1 package bean thread noodles, pre-soaked in boiling water and drained
Sliced or julienned chicken

Simmer all this together for a few minutes. Serve in big bowls. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

SEE ALSO: Hot and Sour Soup
Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)