Hello and Happy Monday!
In case you haven't noticed, I freaking love soup. I could eat soup every day of the week in both scalding hot and freezing cold weather. It's definitely the Thai in me (there's no such thing as "Winter" over there) and one of the things my husband finds most bizarre and kind of annoying, especially when it's Summer, 100 degrees outside and I'm dragging him to Pho 75 for lunch - or breakfast - Us Thais...we don't really understand the concept of "Breakfast" food, which is why every meal is served with rice and you can easily have dinner for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, and lunch for dinner! Unless you check your watch, there's no telling what time of day it is when you're having a meal at our house in Thailand. Just ask my in-laws, their bellies were full of rice 24/7 when they came to visit!
Having no concept of "Breakfast" and eating rice all the time used to embarrass the sh*t out of me as a kid and one of the reasons why I was always hesitant to have my non-Asian/White friends spend the night. Well, that and the fact that I always had to try and come up with some creative excuses as to why our house barely had any furniture in it and why the few pieces we did have were all pushed up against the wall and covered in plastic...? The best explanation I could come up with was that my mom was (forever) "redecorating"...But the truth is, like most Thais, she hates clutter, is totally OCD when it comes to cleaning, finds that furniture is always getting in the way of cleaning and is therefore more annoying than practical or even comfortable! Oh no, unless we had guests or my dad was around to insist we stopped behaving like cave people sitting around huddled and eating on the floor, the dining table went unused in the corner and the couch was just a teasing display of comfort.
Anyway, I was always afraid my non-Asian/White friends would make fun of me or thought my family was weird or poor or something because we couldn't afford to serve an "American" or "English-Style" breakfast. I remember one time I was having an English friend of mine spend the night, she was so cool and I was so excited she accepted my invitation I went to my mom beforehand and asked her to PA-LEASE make us an American Breakfast - you know, a scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, jam & toast kinda breakfast? She agreed and did, and served it all on a plate OVER RICE...?!?
So what does that have anything to do with this soup? Nothing - Other than the fact that you can eat it it for breakfast and over rice.
Alright, enough of my ramblings, here's what you need to make this Double Yummy Too Much soup!
Ingredients (6-8 servings):
- 1.5 lbs of skinless, boneless, Chicken Breast - Cut up in small, bite-sized chunks
- 20 Grape or Cherry Tomatoes - Just rinse, no need to cut up
- 12 White/Cremini Mushrooms - Cut off the stems, rinse, and quartered
- 1 fresh stalk of Lemongrass - Rinse then slice into smaller, diagonal pieces
- 6-7 slices of Galanga (a.k.a. "Thai Ginger" NOT to be confused with regular Ginger. I buy them frozen and pre-sliced.)
- 5 Thai "Birds Eye Chilies" (My local Thai store didn't have these over the weekend so I had to substitute with another type of chili that aren't as spicy. Since they're bigger - photo below - I used 4) - Slice each chili into smaller, diagonal pieces
- 1 whole Lime
- 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 1 can of Chaokoh Coconut Milk (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE - It has to be THIS one because unfortunately, what I've discovered is that not all cans of coconut milk tastes the same. This is available on Amazon and at any decent Asian/Thai grocery store.)
- 1 can of Chaokoh Coconut Milk (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE - It has to be THIS one because unfortunately, what I've discovered is that not all cans of coconut milk tastes the same. This is available on Amazon and at any decent Asian/Thai grocery store.)
- 1 cube Chicken Bouillon
- 1 tbs Mushroom Soy Sauce/ Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbs Fish Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Maggie Sauce
- Cilantro for garnishing
Directions:
1. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil then add the Chicken Bouillon Cube. Once the cube has properly dissolved, lower to Medium High heat and add the sliced Lemongrass and Galanga
2. Shake vigorously prior to opening then add the entire can of the Coconut Milk to the broth. Lower to Medium or Medium-Low heat so that the soup isn't bubbling and boiling over the pot
3. Add the Kaffir Lime Leaves, Tomatoes and Mushrooms. Let cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally
4. Add the chicken to the broth. DO NOT STIR. Make sure the meat is cooked on the outside (turns white) before stirring to separate the pieces of chicken that are stuck together. About 20-30 seconds
5. Add the Chilies, stir, and let cook for about a minute before adding the Light Soy Sauce, the Fish Sauce, the Maggie Sauce, and then the Lime* (just cut in half and squeeze in the juice).
*Taste the broth with just half of the lime juice first and see how you like it before adding the whole lime. If you like how it tastes with just half of the lime then no need to add the other half. I prefer the flavor of the soup with the whole lime, but I think it's a matter of preference.
6. At this point you can probably lower the heat to Low while the chicken cooks. It doesn't take long, maybe like 3-4 minutes max but be sure to check on the chicken so it doesn't over cook and turn chewy/rubbery. You can check by spooning out a piece and cutting it in half - if it's white all the way through (no raw/pink spots) you're good to go!
Turn off the heat, serve yourself a bowl garnished with some fresh chopped-up cilantro and enjoy with a bowl of white Jasmine rice! (Oh and in case you didn't know, you're not supposed to eat the Lemongrass, Galanga, or Kaffir Lime Leaves!).
Thanks for stopping by and as always, Chokh Dee!
Stevie
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