Thai Soup: Tom Kha Gai

I’m on a kick. A soup kick. You may have noticed. Here’s another good one to add to the list that I found on The Daring Gourmet. It’s spicy, and if that surprises you, then you haven’t been paying attention to my recipes. Even with plenty of (light) coconut milk, it’s more of a brothy soup than a creamy soup. It’s easy, filling and even somewhat healthy. Overall, both my husband and I really enjoyed it, and definitely recommend you try it. However, one word of warning… it does not keep. So eat it all the first day. (You’ll want to!)

½  Tbsp vegetable oil

1 ½  Tbsps Thai red curry paste

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I used “light”)

1 large lemongrass stalk, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

6 thin slices fresh ginger

2 Thai chilies, cut in thin slices

3 Tbsps fresh lime juice

2 Tbsps Asian fish sauce

1 lb chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 cup frozen yellow corn (optional)

Cilantro or basil leaves for garnishing

We couldn’t find Thai chilies at Kroger (it’s hit or miss) so we used two habaneros. We did not seed them, but if you are sensitive to spice, you may want to. Start by warming the oil over medium heat in your soup pot. Add in the curry paste, and stir about a minute to a minute and a half.  Next, stir in the chicken broth, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce and bring it to a simmer, about 5 minutes.  We were out of fish sauce so we just used soy sauce. Then add in the thinly sliced chicken and simmer for 15 minutes. We added the corn in at the same time as the chicken because we felt like it needed some more veggies. Pay close attention and don’t let it boil! I didn’t and I think that my coconut milk ended up doing weird things because of it. Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Salt to taste. Remove the lemongrass and ginger before serving. This is the hide and go seek portion of the dinner—have fun with that.  Serve with a garnish of fresh Thai basil leaves or cilantro.