A-Ròy Aa-Hǎan

On Tuesday evening I took a Thai cooking class at Superstore (hosted by the lovely Mrs. Shenoa Matheson). What fun! For $15, I got to learn from a chef, four new recipes, and a full meal. A great experience, especially since I probably wouldn't have tried some of these recipes on my own. The only drawback: there's a definite scarcity of vegetarian dishes in Thai cooking.

Try this soup out if you're feeling adventurous, or want to really impress someone without too much effort. It's a really unique flavour, and surprisingly light for all that coconut milk. The recipe serves eight.

Tom Kha Gai
(coconut soup with galanga)

3 chicken thighs
4 stalks fresh lemongrass
4 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
20 quarter-sized slices fresh galanga (or substitute fresh ginger)
10 whole black peppercorns
12 fresh lime leaves (or substitute the grated peel of one lime)
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1. Bone and skin the chicken. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
2. Chop off the grassy tops and the hard root end of the lemongrass. Peel away the outer leaves. Using the top edge of a knife or a meat tenderizer, bruise the stalks on all sides. Cut each stalk diagonally into one-inch pieces. Set Aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass, chicken, galanga (or ginger), peppercorns, and half the lime leaves (or zest). Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until the chicken is opaque, about ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms and remove from heat. Add the fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Serve hot.

Note: the ginger slices, lemongrass pieces, and peppercorns are ladled out with the soup, but not really to eat!