Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

www.Myrecipes.com

I have found that most self-proclaimed food enthusiasts appreciate a good Thai meal. What I have also discovered is that not everyone knows about Thai Chicken Coconut Soup.

I'm not the first person I've heard call it the "nectar of the gods" and I find myself craving it when I need a truly refreshing, replenishing dish.

All credit to me ever trying this soup is due to my mother, who encouraged me to try it despite the fact that up until then, I wouldn't have considered myself a fan of coconut.

If you are among the people who has yet to appreciate this soup, it's described on Thai Thai II's menu as "the most aromatic herb soup: chicken with coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir leaves, mushroom, chili and lime juice."

Bethlehem's Thai Thai II (see the urbanspoon.com page here) #15 Tom Kha Gai is the best of this soup around. San Francisco's Citrus Club on Haight Street (click here for their website) also has a great version that includes noodles.

As much as I like this soup, and have always wanted to attempt to make it myself, it requires some ingredients that are slightly obscure if you don't live next to an Asian grocery. To be honest, I'm still not sure what exactly galangal is.

Despite that, if you're willing to try here's the recipe from www.myrecipes.com that looks like most recipe versions I've seen.

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken or medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 2 (13.5 ounce) cans canned coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 (1 inch) piece galangal, thinly sliced
• 4 stalks lemon grass, bruised and chopped
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1. Saute chicken in a little oil (sesame, olive, vegetable) until it turns white. For a shrimp substitute, bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the shrimp until cooked, about one minute. Drain shrimp, and set aside.

2. Pour the coconut milk and 2 cups of water in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer. 

3. Add the galangal, lemon grass, and lime leaves; simmer for 10 minutes, or until the flavors are infused. Strain the coconut milk into a new pan and discard the spices. 

4.Simmer the shiitake mushrooms in the coconut milk for five minutes. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Season to taste with curry powder. 

5. To serve, reheat chicken/shrimp in the soup, and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with green onion and red pepper flakes.

Other versions I've tried have also included bamboo shoots, cilantro, minced fresh ginger root, scallions, carrots, and turmeric.


I have a feeling I'll fold and make a recipe some day, but until then I'm really quite happy ordering it at Thai restaurants almost because it's worth ordering for it's labor and complexity

A Bakery for Bethlehem: The Flour Shop

http://www.flourshopbaking.com

This past Thursday, on the last Bethlehem Farmer's Market day of the year, I was excited for a perfect opportunity to pick up lunch from the Market. I typically only shop for groceries, but this week had the biting chill of early fall and a generous dose of wind, so I was uninterested in purchasing anything but soup.

I had an idea of where to look.
The Flour Shop has appeared every week at the Farmers' Market, always generating lines of people buying breads, paninis, baked goods, etcetera. This week, they had a bread and hummus sample, an enticing windowed display as always, and fortunately for me, soups.

The woman behind the counter, Mary, let me sample the two soups they had available: a Curried Acorn Squash and Pear Bisque and a Bacon Minestrone.

I was completely impressed with the imagination it must have taken to put curry, squash, and pears together as well as the resulting flavor, and purchased a small container of the Squash and Pear Bisque, which came with a piece of their sunflower-seed semolina. All for a grand total of $5.

Mary told me their soups change week-to-week depending on what in-season vegetables they purchase. The Flour Shop buys almost all of their vegetables from "Chuck," who she pointed out over her shoulder, a local farmer whose produce is chemical-free. The soups they make and bring to the weekly Farmers' Market are available both warm and ready to serve, as well as cold for people to buy in bulk and take home.

It's also important to note that I only tried their soups and a small piece of bread while principally, The Flour Shop is a baker of artisan breads and cakes. Check out their website for more details!

So the Farmers' Market has ended. Now what? The Flour Shop is still making soups at their permanent location on 2980 Linden Street in North Bethlehem.
Gather your bearings on the map from their website: http://www.flourshopbaking.com/map.htm