I like soup all year round and applaud its various personalities¹. Thick soups are substantial and warming; brothy soups are restorative and soothing³; chilled soups are refreshing⁴ and invigorating.

我一年四季都喜欢喝汤，称赞各种汤的独特滋味。浓汤丰郁暖人，清汤滋补慰藉，冷汤清爽振奋。

And then there is chicken noodle soup, a constant comfort, loved by young and old. Every culture makes one and all have their virtues⁵. I was raised on the kind from a can; it came with the territory. But one must grow up, and any lingering nostalgia⁶ for canned is easily trumped⁷ when a tastier homemade version becomes available.

还有鸡汤面，它总能带来慰藉，年轻人和老年人都喜欢。每种文化都有自己的鸡汤，各有所长。我小时候喝的是罐装鸡汤，这也在所难免。不过，人总要长大，对罐装鸡汤的怀念很容易被自制的更美味的鸡汤磨灭。

Now is an ideal time for chicken and noodles to swim in a bowl. This version is inspired by a soup I had in Japan one cool April evening many years ago. Traditional Japanese cuisine⁸ is always attuned⁹ to the natural cycles. Food is meant to mirror the season, nourishing both the appetite and the senses.

现在是做鸡汤面的好时候。我这种做法的灵感来自很多年前一个清凉4月的夜晚，在日本喝到的鸡汤。传统日本饮食总是跟随自然周期。食物要反映时令，既满足食欲，又取悦感官。

Mine is by no means authentic¹⁰, but it has the feeling of spring, which is exactly what I was after. It is light and delicately flavored and features the season’s tender new offerings: young leeks¹¹, peas and spinach¹².

我的做法绝不是正宗的日式料理，但它有春天的感觉，这正是我想要的。它的味道清淡微妙，采用的是春季的鲜嫩食材：大葱、豌豆和菠菜。

As homage¹³ to the original vernal theme, I flavored this one with a bit of ginger¹⁴ and garlic, a splash of mirin and soy and a soupçon of white miso to finish. For noodles, I used earthy buckwheat soba. I didn’t make it to my local Japanese grocery, though, so instead of snipped¹⁵ shiso leaves to garnish¹⁶, I used basil, which provided an analogous¹⁷ sweet, sharp brightness.

为了向最初的春天主题致意，我在鸡汤中加了点姜、蒜、米酒和酱油，最后用一点白味噌收尾。面条用的是质朴的荞麦面。不过，我在附近的日本杂货店里没有买到紫苏叶，只好用罗勒叶装饰，它也能增添类似的甜蜜浓烈的鲜明气息。

It would have been easy to use traditional dashi for the broth², but I chose to forgo¹⁸ it. I craved¹⁹ real chicken broth; and besides, I wanted to prove a point. The chicken needed to be cooked somehow and I figured it could do double duty. In some ways, chicken thighs²⁰ are the perfect meat for soup: It’s practically impossible to overcook them. Simmering a pound or so in plain old water for just 20 minutes leaves them tender and juicy, and simultaneously²¹ produces a light broth that’s surprisingly flavorful.

如果用传统的狐鲣鱼汤，应该很简便，但我没用那种汤。我想要真正的鸡汤，另外我还想证明一点。鸡肉只需稍微炖一下，我发现这样有双重作用。从某些角度讲，鸡大腿是做汤的理想材料：它怎么煮都不会老。把一磅左右的鸡腿肉放入白水中，用小火炖20分钟，这样既能让鸡肉鲜嫩多汁，又能让鸡汤清淡美味。

The ingredient that gives this soup its ultimate appeal is the miso that is stirred in at the end. Just a small amount provides the sweet, salty, nutty, fermented²², savory²³ solution that transforms the whole into a magic elixir²⁴.

让这道鸡汤具有终极美味的配料是最后搅入的那点味噌。很少的一点就能让整道汤具有微微的甜味、咸味、坚果味、发酵味和香味，变成奇妙的万灵药。