Saturday, December 31, 2011

tom ka gai (coconut lemongrass chicken soup)

I had this soup recently and for my first time at our local Thai restaurant, and I loved it! It was such a pleasant and unexpected combination of flavors, and it was beautiful. Mmm... I thought maybe I could duplicate it {I mean, how hard could it be? I'm cocky.} and decided to give it a try. I had planned on following a recipe but was unable to find some of the ingredients, so I tried another recipe... and again, couldn't find some of the ingredients. So I combined a few ideas and made my own {dangerous when attempting a meal you hardly know}. Luckily, it turned out super duper delicious!! I was so happy with it, and I fully intend to make it again. With that being said, here it is. So I remember.

If you try it as well, let me know how it went! Enjoy.



RECIPE: Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients:
1 deli-roasted (rotisserie) chicken, de-boned, skin removed and shredded {we only used about 3/4 of it... or about 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken}
2 c. water
3 med carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 package Shiitake mushrooms {I would probably do regular button mushrooms next time; I didn't love the texture of these}, halved
juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c.)
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried lemongrass
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1-2 in. fresh ginger-root, grated/minced

2 cans (15 oz.-ish) unsweetened coconut milk
2 stalks green onion, sliced thinly
cilantro (opt)

Directions:
Put the (already-cooked) chicken in a hot pot and let it sizzle for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients (all but the coconut milk, green onions, and cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until carrots are crisp-tender and all is heated through. Add the coconut milk, stir well. At this point, do NOT boil; just warm. Toss in the green onion pieces. Stir. Heat on low heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro if desired, and serve warm.

Serves: 8
Calories: 203

1 comment:

  1. We fell in love with Tom Ka Gai at the Thai restaurant at the Gateway in SLC a few years ago. WE LOVE It and have tried to duplicate it many times and it's never quite as good, but I am not a great cook like you are. I'm SUPER excited to try your recipe! It looks delicious!

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