THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tom-kha-gai/
YIELD: 8 SERVINGS
TOM KHA GAI (THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP)

Learn how to make authentic Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) with this delicious and easy recipe!

TOTAL TIME: 35 MINS
PREP TIME: 10 MINS
COOK TIME: 25 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed (I omit this)
2 tablespoons grated (or finely-chopped) fresh ginger
1/4 cup fresh lime juice or 10 kaffir lime leaves*
6 cups good-quality chicken stock
4 green onions, thinly-sliced with the white and green parts separated
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
8 ounces white, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms (or you could use a combination of your favorites), sliced
2 (13.5-ounce) cans coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-3 teaspoons coconut sugar, to taste (or use another favorite sweetener)
toppings: 

fresh cilantro, 

thinly-sliced Thai red chiles**, 

fresh lime wedges, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

Using the back of a knife, lightly smash the lemongrass on a cutting board. Cut the lemongrass into 1-inch pieces, and add to a large stockpot.
Add lemongrass, ginger, fresh lime juice (or kaffir lime leaves), chicken broth, and the white parts of the green onions to the stockpot, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain out the broth and discard the solids, then return the broth to the stockpot.
Add cooked chicken, mushrooms, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar, and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high until it reaches a simmer, then continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and softened, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve immediately, garnished liberally with your desired toppings and the green parts of the green onions.

*Kaffir limes offer a more complex/authentic flavor to this dish, but can be hard to find. So if they’re unavailable at your local store, feel free to just use fresh lime juice.

**If you can’t find fresh chiles, you can sub in some hot chili oil or sriracha, or even some crushed red chile flakes.

***I also add a few vegetables, such as thinly-sliced red bell peppers and split peas, to this soup for extra color and nutrition. If you’d like to add these, just add them along with the chicken/mushrooms/etc., and let the soup continue to simmer until they’re cooked through.

Recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit. All images and text ©Gimme Some Oven

Shrimp Pad Thai

Yield: 2 servings

Sauce 1:
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup palm sugar
1 teaspoon salt

To make Sauce 1: In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce slightly and set aside to cool. Reserve.

Sauce 2:
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced Thai green chiles
1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves

To make Sauce 2: In a small non-reactive bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well blended. Reserve.

4 ounces rice noodles, linguini size
1 quart cold water
Oil, for deep-frying
2 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon milk plus salt, to taste
1 ounce peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon minced lemongrass
1 teaspoon minced green chiles
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
5 large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Julienne green onions
1 wedge lime

Soak the rice noodles in cold water until softened. (This can be done several hours ahead of time.) Strain and reserve until needed.
Heat oil in a medium sauepan. Deep-fry the diced tofu until crisp and golden. Drain in a paper towel and set aside to cool. Reserve. Add the peanuts and fry for 30 seconds. Remove and set aside with the tofu.

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter. Cook the scrambled egg and milk mixture to a medium consistency. Season with salt. Place in a plate and allow to cool. Chop coarsely and set aside until needed.

In a wok, over high heat, add the peanut oil. When almost smoking, stir-fry the lemongrass, green chiles, shallots, ginger, kafir lime, cilantro, and shrimp for 1 minute or until shrimp change color. Add the softened noodles, half of the bean sprouts, fried tofu, scrambled eggs, Sauce 1 and Sauce 2. Continue to stir-fry until noodles have flattened and blended with the sauce.

Transfer Pad Thai to serving plate. Top with the remaining bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions and chopped peanuts. Serve a wedge of lime on the side.
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I avoid soy now, and would not make this with tofu. I also am very careful about eating sea food, so the shrimp would be highly suspect and I would probably use some beef or chicken in this recipe. Shrimp is processed in Thailand by people who are held captive, work for 12 + hour days, and are slaves.