Seafood and Soba with Ginger Broth

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook soba according to package directions, about 4 minutes to al dente, then drain. Rinse soba until cold, running water. Toss soba with sesame oil and set aside.

While soba is cooking prepare broth. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Peel and thinly slice shallots. Add shallots to the vegetable oil and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.

Meanwhile, slice ginger into large pieces about 1/8 inch thick. Lightly crush garlic cloves. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and saute for another minutes until fragrant. Add chicken broth to the large pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, remove stems from mushrooms and discard. Slice caps into 1/4-inch thick slices. When broth has reached a boil some orange colored foam may appear. Skim the foam and discard. Add mushrooms and return to a boil. Reduce to simmer and keep cooking over a medium flame until mushrooms are tender. Rinse bok choy, cut into 1 inch pieces and add to the broth. Continue to simmer until mushrooms and bok choy are tender.

Meanwhile rinse seafood and pat dry. Heat butter in a large saute pan. Season seafood with salt and pepper and add to butter. Saute for 2-3 minutes tossing frequenting until scallops are opaque and shrimp are pink and cooked through.

To serve, divide soba between bowls. Skim off any remaining foam on the broth. Discard pieces of ginger. Stir in soy sauce and add pepper to taste. Ladle soup over noodles. Divide cooked seafood between bowls. Serve with optional garlic chili paste.