TASTE
Spicy, tangy Thai staple isn't your everyday chicken soup
Associated Press
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This classic Thai soup, known in Thailand as dtom jiw gai, could well earn a place as your favorite comfort food this time of year. In this case, it also earns points for being comfortingly fast to prepare.
The soup should be equally hot, sour and salty, recipe developer Pam Simmons says.
You can start by using the combination of ingredients that she lists here, although she points out that the soup can be easily adjusted to suit your family's preference in seasonings.
The version below is a mild one, without hot sauce. If you like spicy, however, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of garlic chili pepper sauce, Sriracha, sambal oelek or any hot sauce when you add the minced lemongrass, limes and fish sauce. But be warned, Simmons adds: Other sauces, such as Tabasco, may be hotter. So taste and check your seasonings carefully.
In this adaptation of the recipe for American home cooks, 6 strips of lime peel replace the kaffir lime leaf that the original calls for. If you can find kaffir lime leaf locally, Simmons says, use 2 or 3 leaves instead of the strips. (Kaffir lime leaves are often available in Honolulu's Chinatown and at some farmers' markets.)
The following recipe was adapted from "A Taste of Thai" by Andre Prost.
HOT AND SOUR THAI CHICKEN SOUP WITH LEMONGRASS
Add to a medium soup pot: broth, chicken and ginger.
To prepare lemongrass, remove all but bottom 5 inches of stalks. Place 8 to 10 outside sheaths into the pot (they're used like bay leaves, simmered and then removed). Mince the bottom 2 inches of the inner leaves and set aside 2 to 3 tablespoons.
With a potato peeler, peel 6 strips of rind from one lime and add to broth. (Make sure to use only outer green rind — not any inside white pith, which is bitter-tasting.) Bring broth to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Cover, and cook at an active simmer for 15 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, grate rind (and no pith) of remaining lime to measure 1 teaspoon and set aside. Then juice limes, to measure out 3 tablespoons of juice; set aside.
When chicken is cooked through, remove from broth to plate, and shred with two forks. Strain broth to remove any solids; discard solids.
Put chicken and any accumulated juices back into seasoned broth. To the pot, add minced lemongrass, grated lime rind and juice, brown sugar and fish sauce. Bring back to a simmer. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings as a starter, 2 servings as a main course.
Note: If you like, serve small bowls of chopped cilantro and garlic chili pepper sauce, sambal oelek or other hot sauce on the side for added garnish and spice.
