Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups chicken breast, sliced
2 cups thick coconut milk (the coconut cream that rises to the top after the milk sits)
1 cup thin coconut milk (milky thin liquid that remains when cream is skimmed off)
5 thin slices ginza (pearly pink ginger-like root)
2 stalks lemongrass (lower 1/3 only), sliced into 1″ pieces
4 shallots, sliced
10–15 small Thai chiles, cut in half lengthwise
2-1/4 cups straw mushrooms, cut in half (can be purchased canned)
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn in pieces after discarding stem
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
Instructions:
Put the thin and thick coconut milk into a wok over high heat. Add the ginza, lemongrass, shallots, chiles and mushrooms and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 3–5 minutes, add the chicken and stir. Add the fish sauce and the kaffir lime leaves and bring the mixture back to a boil. Add half of the coriander leaves and turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice and serve garnished with the remaining coriander leaves and spring onions.
Yields 4 servings.
Recipe by Sharon Niederman.