Tom Kha Kai

The first of a series of recipes directly imported from their country of origin has to be a good one.

So this is it - the soup of all soups ;-). Tom Kha Kai or the coconut soup with chicken. At least for me, a definite favourite (until I met its cousin, the Tom Yum Kung... more about that later). Hence it was obvious that I would pick a cooking class where this creamy coconut soup featured in the menu. And I haven't stopped tasting it everywhere I go here in Thailand. The good news is that it's easy to make at home - the bad news: the ingredients might be a bit tricky to get (at least where the wind blows me...). But I will just start an import business for galangal then. And seaweed on the side. Never forget about sushi ;-).

So here comes the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients (for 1):

100ml coconut milk

80ml chicken stock (best made yourself by boiling chicken bones)

60g chicken breast

20g young coconut meat (see my point about the ingredients?) - or alternatively any kind of mushroom

1 coriander root (or 3-4 coriander stems) - save the leaves for decoration

2 small shallots

5 bird's eye chillies

1 lemongrass stem

3 cm galangal (5 slices)

3 kaffir lime leaves

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tbsp tamarind juice

1/2 tsp lime juice

Chilli oil ("nam prik phaow")

Preparation:

First, prepare the ingredients: slice the chicken breast thinly, crush the coriander root, onion, chillies, lemongrass and galangal and tear the kaffir lime leave (fold it in half to remove the stem, then tear it into smaller pieces). Then bring the chicken stock to the boil (at medium heat) in a saucepan. Add the herbs (coriander root, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and onion) and continue boiling until an aroma develops. Add the coconut milk and bring the soup to the boil, but don't boil it for too long as it will separate. Add the chicken breast and, once the chicken is half cooked, the coconut meat. Simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind juice (not all at once as you might find it too sweet/sour). Mix well and season to your taste. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and crushed chilli. If you wish, remove the herbs before serving the soup. Pour the soup into a serving bowl and add some chilli oil and coriander leaves for decoration. Serve hot. Voilà - that's the secret.