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[Rebecca Lewinski <rebas_own AT hotmail.com>]

geez, I hope I didn't send this twice to the list!

anyway:

> I know I should google this, but would rather ask..galangal???
> kaffir lime???
> 
> B

well,
galangal is a ginger, but it's..... different.  I've tried duplicating
it with pickled ginger, but it's not the same, it's missing a perfumey
component to it than real galangal has.  I don't mind not having the
real thing for cooking Thai food except when I make a favorite soup,
Chicken Tom ka Gai.  I had it at a restaurant some years back where
they used galangal and I've been ruined ever since.  Gotta have the
galangal....

That
particular soup also uses shredded kaffir lime leaves.  Kaffir lime
leaf is glorious when it's fresh, the smell is of HEAVEN.  Nothing quite 
measures up.

I
have found that for Thai recipes calling for lemongrass, I can get away
with using fresh lemon balm, though it is a bit different taste.  Lemongrass 
is a little easier to find
around here, but I'm going to get some pots of that going next year.

Here's
a recipe I got off of allrecipes.com that, with some tweaking, pretty closely 
approximates the fancy restaurant version I tried of this soup.  And
for the squeamish, you really have to use the fish sauce.  I wouldn't
do it at first (who wants fermented fish guts?), but it wasn't the same
soup without the sauce.





Chicken Coconut Soup Tom Ka Gai
(based on Adrienne Barnett's recipe)

1 to 2 (10 ounce) cans coconut milk
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast  - cut into thin strips
2
to 3 inches-worth of quarter-inch thick galangal (you can leave it in
big bits to fish out, or fine slices if you want to try eating)
1/4
cup chopped lemongrass--or, if you don't fancy eating the fibrous bits,
use 3 to 5 pieces (2-iinch chunks) of crushed lemongrass (smack the
stems with the back of a cleaver or heavy knife)
3 to 5 kaffir lime leaves (I shred them, but most people don't eat them)
Lime juice to taste (fresh or bottled)
2 teaspoons peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper or less to taste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 onion, thinly sliced
a few sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 cups bok choy, shredded (can add a little napa cabbage too)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 thinly sliced green onion
1 thinly sliced serrano pepper (those little green guys that aren't jalapenos)
handful of small cherry tomatoes
Water as needed to thin soup to taste
In large saucepan/pot, cook chicken strips in coconut milk with galangal and 
lemongrass.  Add in the lime leaves, keep hot.  
In
another pan over
medium heat, heat peanut oil. Stir in garlic, red pepper,
coriander and cumin and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in onion
and mushrooms
and cook until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Add the onion mixture
to the chicken and coconut milk.  Stir in bok choy and heat soup until
the bok choy turns a very bright green.  Add fish sauce and cilantro,
and extra water as needed to thin soup to personal taste.  Let simmer
for a few minutes.  Toss in green onion, serrano pepper,  and cherry tomatoes 
just before serving.  
The
flavor you're aiming for in this soup is a bit of sour with spicy and
salty.  We've found that a touch of brown sugar helps blend the flavors
together.Serve with rice, and Thai spiced 'n iced coffee if you want to go 
the extra mile.*********-Rebecca in the Great Northwest
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