Leas Tom Ka Kai Soup Recipes

TOM KA KAI (THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP)

Steps:

• In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat the oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. I often make this is a wok on the stove.
• Salt the chicken and add to oil, tossing to brown all the pieces. Cook about 3 minutes or until outside is browned, but not necessarily cooked all the way through.
• Add mushrooms and toss. Allow to cook until some of the moisture is cooked out and the mushrooms are soft. Turn down heat to medium-low.
• To prepare the lemongrass, slice and mince the lower portion and reserve the stalk to flavor the soup. You can use a food processor for this, or just mince it by hand. The woody upper portion of the stalk will be removed later, so don't chop it up, simply score it by making a few superficial cuts in it to allow it to flavor the soup.
• Add the whites of the onions, reserving the greens. Add the minced lower portion of the lemongrass, grated galangal, and chilies. Toss until just warmed through.
• Add the lemongrass stalk, lime leaves, chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and remaining onions, reserving just a few for garnish. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend well.
• Taste test and adjust flavors as follows:.
• Not salty enough - add more fish sauce.
• Too sour - add a little more brown sugar.
• Too spicy - add more coconut milk.
• Not spicy enough - add more chilies.
• Ladle into 4 soup bowls and garnish with remaining onion greens, cilantro, and basil.
• Variations:.
• Add more vegetables such as some sliced red bell peppers with the mushrooms.
• Serve over wide rice noodles for a main dish serving.
• Make vegetarian by increasing mushrooms in place of chicken and substituting vegetable stock.

TOM KHA (COCONUT SOUP) WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Cook as much Jasmine rice as needed.
• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering.
• Add lemon grass, shallots, cilantro and 1 tbsp fish sauce; cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, 2 to 5 minutes (vegetables should not be brown).
• Stir in chicken broth and 1 can of coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors have blended, 10 minutes.
• Pour broth through fine mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer.
• Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan. Return pan to medium-high heat.
• Stir remaining can coconut milk, curry paste*, and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer.
• Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add shrimp.
• Serve with desired amount of Jasmine rice.
• *This works very well and can be kept in the pantry until opened (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CJCBJES1L._SS500_.jpg).

QUICK AND EASY TOM KHA GAI

Steps:

• Tips: the lemon grass, lime leaves and kha are best left in large pieces to make them easier to pick out later, as they are tough and inedible. I leave them in all the way till serving and tell my guests to look for them and set them aside as they eat. The RecipeZaar ingredient format makes it hard to enter how much galangal (kha) to use: I use a root-knob about twice the size of the ball of my thumb. I use half of a 4-ounce tin of red curry paste (4 tablespoons) for a pretty spicy-hot soup; you can use 1/4 can for milder heat, but the recipe for Tom Kha Gai on the Maesri tin calls for the whole thing- WOW that must be hot!
• In a large stock pot, saute the curry paste, garlic, lemon grass, lime leaves and kha in the vegetable oil for two minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• While broth is heating, slice the chicken breast and toss it in cornstarch. The amount of cornstarch doesn't need to be exact; just make sure the slices are evenly coated and shake off any excess.
• Add chicken to boiling broth, stir gently, and bring back up to a simmer.
• Stir in mushrooms, coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice. Bring back up to a simmer, stirring gently a few times, then cut the heat off and you're ready to serve.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

VEGETARIAN TOM KA

Steps:

• Heat the coconut milk with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, soy, chilis, sugar and stock.
• Simmer with the lid on the pot ten minutes and strain.
• Put strained soup base into.
• Simmer until cauliflower is al dente.
• Remove from heat and lemon juice.
• Stir once, place in bowls and garnish with cilantro.
• (optional) pour a teaspoon of sesame chili oil on top for more kick.
• *I am lucky enough to have a kaffir tree but if you cannot find kaffir leaves use lemon leaves (meyer lemon works well) or lime zest as a last resort.
• **Cauliflower is used in the book and works wonderfully with this soup but i like to mix it up and use mushrooms, tofu, tomatoes, water chestnuts, bell peppers, and even vermicelli noodles.