Tom Ka Gai (Coconut Chicken Thai Soup)

Tom Ka Gai (Coconut Chicken Thai Soup)
(serves 2 as an entree, 4-6 as a first course)

2 c coconut milk (canned)
2 c chicken broth
2 c water
2-3 stalks lemongrass, chopped into 2-3 inch sections and bruised (crushed slightly) with the handle of a knife or meat tenderizer
Galangal (or ginger root), chopped into large cubes
Dried or fresh Thai chilies (8-10, or more), chopped and seeded (f very dry, reconstitute in warm water
Chili paste, siracha or crushed red chili flakes (to taste, for added heat)
1 small clove garlic, minced into a puree
Salt and white pepper to taste
4 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste
4-6 Kaffir lime leaves (or, 1 whole lime)
1/4 c sugar
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed and pounded thin
1 c cilantro leaves
8 oz white or crimini mushrooms, sliced thin

Directions:
Bring broth, water and coconut milk to a boil. Add lemongrass, galangal (or ginger), chilies, garlic, fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar and Kaffir lime leaves (or chopped, whole lime) and continue to simmer.

Taste soup at this point and add additional lime for sourness, salt and pepper for flavor, fish sauce for intensity, sugar for sweetness and chilies or chili paste for more heat.

Reduce to a low simmer, add mushrooms, then cilantro, then chicken. Simmer just until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

I bet this would be wonderful. I'm not sure where I can get lemongrass? Thank-you Twinkle.

Jill

Twinkle, Thank you so much!!!!!!    One of our grocery stores has a soup bar that has this soup.  It is heavenly.   I wasn't able to find it when I did an internet search.  This looks like it matches what they serve exactly.  Thank you so, so, very much.

Christine

 Twinkle, I love Thai food and know this would be excellent. I have dried galangal, so I'll have to substitute. I also need a few other ingredients before I can make this, but I've copied it. Thank you for posting it. chefly

Jill, an oriental food store would sell lemon grass. We have a big grocery store with an oriental section and they have it bottled and frozen.

chefly 

Christine, after reading you  post I decided to definitely print out.

Chef, thanks for the information.

Jill

 This is my favorite Thai soup.  My son makes it and adds tomatoes toward the end of cooking.  Some of the ingredients, such as kaffir lime leaves and galangal are hard to find. This soup is definately worth making.

Barb

Jill, it is a delicious rich soup.   The soup bar julliene's the veggies instead of chopping them.  

hello ladies

this is a wodnerufl sopu if you like exotic flavors and a bit of heat - hmmmm

have a lovely weekend -twinkle