Spicy chicken coconut soup
6 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Ceideburg | ||
| 2 | Chicken breast halves | |
| ½ | cup | Slivered fresh lemon, with peel |
| 3 | tablespoons | Fish sauce |
| 1½ | teaspoon | Chopped hot chile pepper, or to taste |
| 2 | Green onions, thinly sliced, including part of green top | |
| 1½ | teaspoon | Sugar |
| 4 | cups | Unsweetened coconut milk |
| 2 | cups | Chicken stock |
| 3 | teaspoons | Minced lemon grass or 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest |
| 1 | cup | Whole straw mushrooms |
| 1 | tablespoon | Slivered galangal root or ginger root |
Directions
[I prefer galangal--even dried, to ginger, but ginger will do. S.C.] Place chicken breasts in pan with just enough cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil over medium heat; immediately reduce heat so water barely ripples. Simmer uncovered, until done, about 12 minutes. Meat should be moist and opaque throughout; cook only to just beyond pink stage. Remove breasts and drain well. Cool to room temperature; remove and discard skin and bones. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces.
Reserve. Combine slivered lemon, fish sauce, chile pepper, green onion and sugar; set aside. Combine coconut milk, chicken stock, lemon grass, mushrooms and galangal in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lemon grass is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add reserved chicken and lemon mixture and heat through, about 3 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 4 as a main course.