Hot and Sour Chicken Soup
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.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 cups chicken broth
3 red Thai chiles, bruised
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into segments and bruised
10 kaffir lime leaves, deveined and torn
6 rounds of galangal, very thinly sliced
3-4 Asian shallots or 1 large shallot cut in half
1/2 pound chicken, sliced thinly
1/2 cup mushrooms (straw, beech, enoki, or other mild varieties)
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons roasted chili paste
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the chicken broth into a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the bruised Thai chiles, bruised lemongrass segments, torn kaffir lime leaves, galangal rounds, and shallots. Allow the herbs to simmer in the chicken broth for about 15 minutes, or until their scent has permeated the liquid.
Use a mesh strainer to remove the herbs from the broth, retaining the chiles in the liquid if you prefer a spicier soup.
Add the mushrooms and sliced chicken and allow to cook through, approximately 5-10 minutes. If you are adding tomatoes, add them at this point as well.
Season the soup with fish sauce, lime juice, and roasted chili paste. Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings as needed. The flavor should be equally (and boldly!) spicy and sour with enough saltiness to bring out the other flavors. If it is not salty enough, add fish sauce. If it is not sour enough, add lime juice. If it is not spicy enough, press the Thai chilis into the side of the pot with the back of your spoon to release more of their flavor.
Take the soup off the heat and add in the chopped cilantro. Serve over hot jasmine rice and enjoy!
From rachelcooksthai.com