Andrews Tom Kha Gai Recipes

ANDREW'S TOM KHA GAI

Steps:

• Bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan; add lemon grass, galangal, cilantro, green onion, and kaffir lime leaves. Stir, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Mix chicken, fish sauce, sugar, and red pepper flakes into stock mixture; stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, shiitake mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms; stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

TOM KHA GAI

Steps:

• In a saucepan set over high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Cut off the tough end of the lemongrass stalk, then, using the back of a knife, bruise the lemongrass. Cut into pieces a few inches long. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, chilies, garlic and ginger to the stock and reduce the heat. Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes to let all the flavours infuse the stock.
• Remove the aromatics. Add the chicken and continue to simmer until it's cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, oyster mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar. Bring back to a simmer until everything is hot and the mushrooms are slightly softened.
• Serve with cilantro (either coarsely chopped or left whole), chili oil and lime wedges.
• Note: Kaffir lime leaves are fragrant leaves that impart a lime flavour to the soup. They can typically be found at Asian markets. The peel from half a lime can be used instead.
• Note: Regular button mushrooms can be substituted for oyster mushrooms, but need a bit more time to cook. Add them at the same time as the chicken.

TOM KHA GAI

Steps:

• Warm chicken broth and coconut milk together in a stockpot over medium heat; add chile sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and lime leaves. Bring broth mixture to a low simmer until flavors have blended, about 15 minutes.
• Remove stockpot from heat and strain out ginger and lime leaves. Return broth mixture to the stockpot and bring to a simmer. Cook chicken in the simmering broth until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, zucchini, lemongrass, and basil and simmer until onion softens, about 3 minutes.

TOM KHA GAI

Steps:

• Bring coconut milk and broth to a boil, add thinly sliced galangal, minced ginger, and Thai chiles to soup - simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add chicken slices and stir occasionally until chicken is tenderly cooked.
• Add straw mushrooms and thinly sliced & deveined lime leaves.
• (optional : cut a few cross-sections of the lemon grass and add to the soup)
• (optional : cut tomatoes into largish cubes about 1/2" square, and add to soup).
• (optional : if you are using fresh limes, zest the lime peel into the soup).
• (optional : Add Thai chile paste or red curry paste).
• Stir well and simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
• Just before serving, turn off the heat, then add brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and stir well.
• Finisher's instructions: balance the flavors by adding more spicy (chile paste), sour (lime juice), or salty (fish sauce) until perfection is reached. Different brands may have different strength or acidity -- Be careful not to overdo any one dimension, and stir well inbetween
• Top with cilantro, and serve hot by itself or pour over rice.
• Leftovers are often even more flavorful the next day or two.