{"id":13253,"date":"2013-07-12T01:00:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T05:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=13253"},"modified":"2013-07-11T15:47:52","modified_gmt":"2013-07-11T19:47:52","slug":"thai-coconut-chicken-soup-tom-kha-gai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/07\/12\/thai-coconut-chicken-soup-tom-kha-gai\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Thai<\/a><\/p>\n

I am convinced that every culture, every civilization, has a chicken soup recipe. \u00a0Nothing else satisfies or feels so much like a hug to the tummy like a big bowl of chicken soup made by someone you love. \u00a0If you are like me and are a frugal girl, you buy a whole chicken at least once a week. \u00a0I remove the breasts and legs and cook them one night, then cook the carcass for broth and about two cups of shredded chicken left on the body. \u00a0If you have a chicken body and the desire to try something new, read on – here comes Thai Coconut Chicken Soup<\/strong>, also known as Tom Kha Gai!<\/p>\n

Now that you know how to make coconut milk from scratch<\/a>, you’ll need about 2 cups of homemade coconut milk, or you can use one can of packaged coconut milk. \u00a0There are a few other unusual ingredients for this recipe: \u00a0ginger, cilantro, and fish sauce. \u00a0Ginger really isn’t that out of the ordinary, and goes great in smoothies and peach dishes; but if you aren’t going to use it soon, you can peel whatever is left and freeze it to use later. \u00a0Cilantro shows up in many different cuisines, so if you don’t want to waste half a bunch of cilantro, you have many options (like Mexican or Indian food), or try this<\/a>\u00a0 and \u00a0this<\/a>. \u00a0Fish sauce is a savory liquid distillation of anchovy, sugar and salt. \u00a0If you can’t find it, you can still make the soup, but fish sauce is the secret ingredient that really brings everything together. \u00a0It keeps in the fridge forever, and is a great flavor booster for clam chowder or a substitute for anchovy paste (think Caesar salad.) \u00a0The only other ingredients you need are a chicken, some limes, and mushrooms. \u00a0Thai restaurants use straw mushrooms, and you can find them in a can, but I used dried shiitake mushrooms here, and they’re delicious. \u00a0You could also use cremini mushrooms.<\/p>\n

Try this with Jasmine rice and a green salad for a light but satisfying dinner!<\/p>\n

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n