Chicken Soup with Galangal (Kai Tom Kha)

Title:
Chicken Soup with Galangal (Kai Tom Kha)

Yield:
1 Servings

Categories:
Thai,
Soups




Ingredients:





     2    Stalks lemon grass


     1 c  Water


     4 c  Coconut milk


     8    Chicken thighs or


 1 1/3 lb Chicken breast, diced


    10 sl Galangal


     2 tb Fish sauce


     3 sm Fresh chilies


     3    Bergamot leaves


     2 tb Lemon juice





----------------------------------GARNISH----------------------------------


          Spring onions, shredded


          Chilies, shredded





 This one's a bit more complex and gets into some exotic ingredients.


 All of them should be available from an Asian grocery.  If you have


 any questions about what the ingredients are or how to use them, just


 ask. The only thing that can not be substituted for is the fish


 sauce.  You could use ginger instead of galangal, but the soup would


 lack the perfumed, exotic aroma of the galangal that adds so much to


 the dish.


 


 Lime zest could be used for the bergamot leaves.


 


 Cut the lemon grass into 1-inch pieces.  Bring the water to the boil


 with half the coconut milk.  Then add the chicken, lemon grass,


 galangal and 1 tablespoon fish sauce.  Simmer for about 20 minutes or


 until the chicken is cooked.  Less cooking time will be required for


 diced chicken breast.


 


 Stir in the remaining coconut milk and turn up the heat.  As soon as


 it begins to boil, toss in the whole chilies and bergamot leaves.


 Stir, and remove from the heat.


 


 Serve in individual bowls.  Sprinkle each with lemon juice and fish


 sauce to taste and garnish with slivers of spring onions and chili.


 


 From "Discover Thai Cooking" by Chaslin, Canungmai and Tettoni, Times


 Editions, Singapore.  1987


 


 Posted by Stephen Ceideburg; February 6 1991.


 


 File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip