Someone requested a thai chicken coconut soup. I got this from Niels LaWhite, but by the time it got to me, there was no firm information about quantities. I've put approxi-mately what I use, but I probably don't even do it the same twice. The moral is: quantiites don't really matter much. The more unusual ingredients are available in most
oriental grocery stores.
ingredients:
3-4 cans coconut milk
(make sure it's the unsweetened kind)
3 tbsp chopped scallions
1 to 3 tsp lemon grass
cilantro (preferably fresh. I sometimes leave this out.
Niels says that's defeating the whole point,
but I think it still comes out great)
tofu, cubed into smallish pieces.
chicken, also cubed to bite size.
mushrooms
1 carrot, grated
juice from loads of limes (8? i can never put in enough)
cerrano chillies (or any other hot chili pepper, again
preferably fresh, but powdered will do)
1 tsp galanga powder
heat the coconut milk in a pot. add everything else. As the lemon grass is inedible, put it in a tea ball and immerse the ball in the soup so you can retrieve it later. cook until the chicken is done and the soup is hot. (30 minutes?) Taste to see if it needs more limes (it always does) or more hot peppers (it's better to start mild and build up to the desired level of spiciness).
