Tom Ka Gai (Thai chicken and coconut soup)

Since I moved to Luxembourg I have missed good Thai food, so I’ve had to learn to make some of my favourites. If you want to cook Thai properly you need to find a good asian grocer to source the right ingredients.  I have a few cheat ingredients in this recipe as I have found it hard to find the authentic stuff. I use a lime cordial as a sweetener as I can’t get palm sugar, and I use a shop bought jar of minced galangal…But you know, it works for me so don’t knock it.   This dish actually looks more complicated than it is because of the long ingredients list. Once you have the right ingredients it’s a very simple and quick dish to throw together, we are having it once a week these days. I start by getting all the ingredients out and lining them up on the counter so I’m not going back and forth to the pantry.

Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people)
Ingredients

·         6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

·         Frozen green beans
·         1 Red pepper sliced

·         About a dozen button mushroom cut in half

·         1 red onion

·         1 brown onion

·         3 sticks of lemon grass

·         2 teaspoons of minced galangal

·         A chunk of fresh ginger about an inch in diameter, roughly chopped

·         3 kaffir lime leaves

·         1 red chili seeded and chopped

·         1 green chili seeded and chopped

·         1 tsp sesame oil

·         4 tbsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)

·         3 tbsp tamarind concentrate

·         2 tbsp lime cordial

·         Ground nut oil

·         Thick coconut milk

·         Glass noodles

·         Chinese greens (pak choi or choi sum)

Ingredients for Tom Ka Gai.

Heat the ground nut and sesame oils in a large saucepan then add the galangal, onions, fresh ginger, lime leaves and chilis. Trim the lemon grass of the rough, dry ends then bash the succulent end with the back of your kitchen knife to pulverize it and release the flavours, throw these into the pan. Turn the heat down and let the fragrant mixture sizzle away, stir occasionally, being careful not to let it catch and burn.

Cut the chicken thighs into quarters and throw these into the pot, stirring them well. Mix the tamarind in with the chicken and then add the vegetables (I’ve used peppers, mushrooms, green beans…but sometimes I throw in a couple of chopped tomatoes, or some long carrot slices, whatever I have lying around that needs to be used). Let the mixture sizzle for  about 2-3 minutes, then cover the lot with water and start adding the rest of the broth flavours;  fish sauce, lime cordial. Turn the heat down and let the soup simmer away for a minute of two, then taste (the chicken should be cooked by now). Is the flavor good? Does it have the right sweet, sour, salty Thai balance? Adjust accordingly (more fish sauce for salty, tamarind for sour lime cordial for sweet)

If you want to get this prepped up in advance you can make it to this point, turn the heat off, cover it and let it sit. When you are ready to serve it bring it back to a high simmer (but not boiling) and add the coconut milk and noodles, cook them for as long as they require (see the back of your noodles pack – it’s usually about 3 minutes,) put the greens into the pot with the noodles, letting them sit on top, cover the pot with a lid and allow the greens to steam while the noodles cook.

To serve, take and set of tongs, lift out the greens put to one side. Fill each bowl with a hearty portion of the chicken, veg and noodles. Pour the fragrant broth over the top of each and then pile the greens on top. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

* For a change you change you can use the same basic recipe but swap the coconut milk for a tin of  chopped tomatoes, and instead of peppers throw in some butternut squash. Yum!

Tip -  Keep your ginger in the freezer and then grate it in to dishes, or if you want chunks as is the case here, use a serrated bread knife to cut what you need from the frozen root. The ginger keeps fresh this way.