Thailand

With all the Asian markets around me, I couldn't help but fix up this delicate soup while it was a little chilly. Tom Kha Gai literally means "Chicken Galangal Soup" and is a relatively traditional soup from this country. The balance of flavors is really incredible and there are several ways of varying the recipe.

Tom Kha Gai
3 cups chicken broth (I use one can and then add two cans of water and use the chicken in the recipe to make a more "homemade" broth flavor)
4 kaffir lime leaves****
3-5 inch section of fresh lemongrass, cut on an angle ~1/2 inch thick
6 slices of galangal ~1/8 inch thick (you may use 2 similar slices of fresh ginger if that's all you have)
1/4 cup Fish sauce (nam pla)  Don't skip this ingredient!
1/2 cup lime juice
2-3 Thai chilies, finely chopped
2 chicken breasts or thigh meat, cubed
1 large can coconut milk
Chopped cilantro

**** Kaffir lime leaves are extremely controlled in my area as the tree is known to carry a bug that is currently destroying some of the more delicate ecosystems in California. If you can't find these leaves, just use the zest of one of your limes. It's not exactly the same flavor, but you get a similar effect in the soup. Just make sure your zest does not contain the bitter white part of the peel.

Combine your chicken broth, lime leaves (or zest), galangal (or ginger), fish sauce, lime juice, and chilies in a sauce pan. Bring to a slow simmer and add the chicken and coconut milk. Simmer long enough to cook the chicken and flavor the broth (about 20 minutes). Add the coconut milk. Serve in a small bowl as an appetizer or a large bowl (with rice or rice noodles) as the main meal. Always serve with a generous sprinkling of cilantro.

I've also seen this soup with straw mushrooms and thin slivers of red bell pepper. I don't care for canned straw mushrooms, but I think the bell pepper would be fantastic. I've read that Laos has a similar dish that is garnished with dill instead of cilantro. If I had some dill I'd try it both ways.