Thai Chicken soup - Kai tom Ka
A hot smooth aromatic coconut based soup. You can get small bags of lime leaves from Asian supermarkets, specialist market stalls and the ocassional deli. They keep for a few months and can be added to Thai, Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese broths, ramins, soups, currys and stir-frys.
Preparation time: 5 - 10 minutes Quantity: Serves 4 or 6 small Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion - small dice
1 chicken breast
8 cm galangal or ginger - peeled
1/2 fresh green chilli - finely sliced
1&1/2 pints chicken stock
3 lemon grass -trimmed and sliced
3 - 4 kaffir lime leaves
1 fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon nam plah - fish soup
150 ml coconut milk
few leaves Thai basil - torn
seasoning
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan
- Add the onion and cook without colour
- Add the whole chicken breast and seal both sides
- Add the ginger and chilli and cook for a few moments to release the flavour
- Add the stock, lemon grass and leaves
- Simmer for 20 -30 minutes or until the chicken is firm and cooked
- Remove the breast and slice thinly
- Liquidise the chicken broth and pass through a sieve
- Place back on the stove top and bring to the boil
- Add the chicken and everything else
- Simmer for 3 - 5 minutes
- Taste, correct the seasoning and serve