mcbryde@karazm.math.uh.edu (Jack McBryde) (11/07/90)
Thai Ginger Chicken Soup
The following recipe in a slightly different form is from "Keo's Thai
Cuisine". Following the recipe are some fairly extensive notes on
ingredients and modifications to the recipe.
1/2 pound boneless chicken breast
3 cups coconut milk
2 cups water
1 inch section of fresh Thai ginger, thinly sliced
1 to 4 Tbs fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs sliced green onions
1 Tbs fresh chopped Chinese parsley (cilantro)
Cut chicken into thin strips. Bring coconut milk and water to a boil.
Reduce heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in Thai ginger,
fish sauce and lime juice. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
Garnish with red chili peppers and cilantro sprigs. Makes 4 servings.
NOTES:
Coconut milk is *NOT* the juice found in coconuts. It can be
found in most oriental markets. When I get a chance, I'll post
the recipe for it. It comes in cans and needs to be shaken
very well to get the sediment back into suspension. (The
sediment is necessary.)
Thai ginger doesn't exist, except possibly in Thailand. Common
ginger is an acceptable substitute, as is minced ginger. I
wouldn't recommend dried ginger.
Fish sauce is basically salty water, I often just leave it out
and substitute salt, since I'm deathly allergic to seafood of
all kinds. Strangely enough, I've never had a reaction to fish
sauce, though. (Fish sauce is runoff from salted iced fish.)
Bottled lime juice is an acceptable substitute for fresh lime
juice.
If necessary you can get away with dried cilantro, but the
difference is noticable.
MY VERSION:
3/4 pound boneless chicken breast (give or take a quarter pound)
2 14oz cans coconut milk
2 cups water
2 or 3 Tbs of minced ginger
(an amount equivalent to a 1 inch section of ginger)
1 to 4 Tbs fish sauce or salt to taste
1/4 cup lime juice (fresh or not)
2 Tbs sliced green onions
1 Tbs fresh chopped Chinese parsley (cilantro)
Red chili powder (or cayenne pepper) to taste
Cut chicken into thin strips. Bring coconut milk and water to a boil.
Reduce heat. Add everything except the green onions and fresh cilantro
(if you use dried cilantro add it now) and cook for 10 minutes or so.
(I found that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes. I like the
ginger to be fairly prominent, thus the substitution of minced ginger
for fresh and the longer cooking time.) Sprinkle with green onions and
fresh cilantro. Garnish with red chili peppers and cilantro sprigs.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free ...
jack mcbryde@karazm.math.uh.edu