By popular demand today I begin to share Thai recipes that I learned the Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai. My fav, so much so that it can consider my new comfort food par excellence, is the chicken soup with coconut milk (Tom Kha Kai), we'll start with this!
Probably the most difficult to accomplish, exclusively from the perspective of the research of ingredients, but don't worry, if you can't find them despite signs that give you for research, I have already experienced the possib
ILI substitutions with products available in Italy. An ingredient but I definitely find that this dish really does taste Thai, and is the lemongrass fresh!
The lemongrass was my cross for at least a month, I asked all ethnic shops in the city, but there is an Asian community so strong to have a neighborhood or an Asian market where to find it and the ethnic shops are basically Africans or Arabs. Then I went to the farmers market, but even here has not been easy, until one day an enterprising vegetable vendor tells me you don't have it, but if he can get because the husband gives the MOF in Bologna and there if it's season probably will find it!
Well, to cut a long story short after few days gives me the elusive lemongrass coming directly from Thailand, ok, it won't be a km 0, but you can't give up!
Moral of the story to get some ingredients you have to find a greengrocer willing that you provide in a large market. Probably the same thing goes for the galangan, my currently comes from London, but I'm sure that when it is finished I will give my enterprising MOF vegetable vendor in Bologna! If you still don't find it, it won't be a big deal, you can replace it with ginger, the flavor is a bit different, but it's going to be fine.
The kaffir lime and its leaves are much harder to find, in fact it failed getting even from London because there is just frozen, there's nice though that you can easily replace, because these leaves have a strong lemon scent, actually reminded me immediately the scent of lemon last! … Thats it, if you do not find it you can put a few cm of lemon zest.
The last problem is finding fish sauce! You can find in ethnic shops well stocked, in Ravenna there is one out of all (the one in via Carducci in the arcades alongside the post office) which in addition to African products also has a good assortment of packaged products of Asia and South America and has a whole shelf with all kinds of sauces that will serve you for the next recipes!
If you do not find the fish sauce or you don't like (actually has a very strong smell and decidedly unpleasant) you can use soy sauce or salt, be aware though that the flavor that gives the soup is the fundamental flavor along with lemongrass!
Finally we conclude the search of ingredients with coconut milk that is more common and is found in both ethnic and alternative foods in supermarkets NaturaSi type.
The hardest part is over! now comes the fun part, Cook (prepare it is easy), but especially eating it!
CHICKEN SOUP with COCONUT MILK (Tom Kha Kai) Thai chichen coconut soup
Ingredients for 1 person
for the soup:
100 g of chicken between chest and thighs, finely sliced
30 g Oyster Mushrooms also called sfiandrine
200 ml coconut milk
100 ml of water
1 stalk lemongrass (Lemongrass), cut diagonally in 1 cm pieces plentiful
2 pieces galangal or galangan or galangal (or ginger)
2 cm of lemon zest (kaffir lime leaf torn in half 1 original)
.5 onion divided into four
from 1 to those who want dried chilis
2 tomatoes, divided into four
1 teaspoon of sugar
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
.5 lime juice
for garnish:
1 sprig of parsley (cilantro)
1 spring onion
PROCEEDINGS
Put the coconut milk and water in the wok (or in a pot) and bring to a boil over medium heat, then add the lemongrass, galangal, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and boil until cooked, Add onion, tomato and mushrooms. Season with sugar, fish sauce, and stir.
Add pepper and lemon zest (or kaffir lime leaf), let it boil for a few seconds. Turn off the heat and add lime juice.
Pour into a bowl and garnish with parsley (or cilantro) and spring onion, serve accompanied by white rice.
Now enjoy your chicken soup with coconut milk and enjoy!