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Tom Yum Gai ต้มยำไก่ (lemongrass chicken soup)
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 350 g chicken thigh, 1-inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 heads shallots
- 3-4 dried chilies (or substitute fresh chilies)
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 5-6 rounds galangal
- 5-6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 2 heads shallots, cut in half vertically
- 2 Tbsp tamarind juice
- 200 grams oyster, straw or beech mushrooms
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halves, or regular tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2-3 Tbsp lime juice (how much you need depends on the acidity of your tamarind)
- ½-1 tsp sugar (you may or many not need this)
- Salt as needed
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 3-4 leaves sawtooth coriander (optional)
Instructions
Bring 4 cups of stock to a boil in a medium pot.
While the stock is heating, place the dried chilies on a sheet pan and, without preheating, broil them on low in the oven on the top rack. When the chilies puff up and start to darken in colour, remove from heat and add them directly to the stock pot. If you want a spicier soup, break the chilies in half before adding.
Turn the broiler up to high and broil the shallots, cut side up, until the edges are charred, about 3-5 minutes. Add them to the stock pot.
Once the stock boils, add chicken, 2 Tbsp fish sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is fork tender. Once chicken is tender, add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 3-5 minutes to infuse. Then add 2 Tbsp tamarind juice, sugar, mushrooms and tomatoes; bring the soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining lime juice, fish sauce and/or salt as needed.
Stir in cilantro and sawtooth coriander just before serving.
John
The wife has me making this every weekend. Seriously, I do the cooking...unless she is making her Filipina food..I digress.
This is a sensational recipe. I don't do the sugar, the wife and daughter like it a little more "tangy" than sweet. I add just a tad bit more water and add a couple of 2 min baskets of egg noodle on the bottom of the bowl, I pour the soup over the noodles...by the time the bowls hit the table the noodles are perfect.
This food is incredible when you are sick. I will substitute some shrimp once in a while. Just remember unfrozen shrimp takes minutes to cook. This eliminates about 30 minutes of cooking time.
God Bless and keep the recipes coming
★★★★★
Adrian
My local Thai Kitchen does this soup with a little bit of coconut (?) milk and it was my favorite, until today. now this is my favorite. tthe ccharred shalotts, and the tamarind were just perfect additions
Thank You!
★★★★★
Ann
Delicious! I did not add sugar and it was perfect-
I did have some big chunks of lemongrass in the bowls I served...was I supposed to fish this out prior to serving?
Thanks! Great recipe and so quick!
Ann
★★★★★
Holly Salley
I made this again today and it is so delicious. Everything I have ever made from Hot Thai Kitchen has been delicious. I this is no exception.
★★★★★
Luke Parlor
I loved this dish. It reminded me so much of the Tom Yum that I had in northern Thailand, nearly 10 years ago. It was that dish that made me really appreciate how good a Tom Yum could be, unlike so many westernised versions. This one bough back those memories.
★★★★★