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Chicken Rice Soup With Avocado
4 servings

This soup, from Su-Mei Yu's “The Elements of Life” (Wiley, 2009), has some bright and unusual elements going for it: chayote squash (which can be substituted if you can't find it; we picked up some at Whole Foods Market), lime, silky cubes of avocado and small easy meatballs made with ground chicken, cooked rice and cilantro. For best results, use a non-cloudy, good-quality chicken broth. Start to finish, it took 40 minutes to prepare.

Caption. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, preferably homemade

1/2-inch piece ginger root

1 medium clove garlic

1 small or 1/2 large fennel bulb

6 to 8 baby-cut carrots

1/2 medium onion

One (9 ounces) chayote squash (optional; see headnote)

Leaves from 6 stems cilantro

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

8 ounces ground chicken

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 cup cooked long-grain rice

1 ripe avocado

1 lime

1 to 2 Thai or serrano chili peppers (optional)

Questions?

-- Bonnie Benwick