From ianhoarespamless@wanadoo.fr Mon Oct 21 15:31:03 2002 Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 18:34:07 +0200 From: Ian Hoare Reply-To: ianhoare@wanadoo.fr Newsgroups: alt.food.asian Subject: Re: some thoughts on fusion cooking Hi Jean B., le Sun, 20 Oct 2002 08:37:57 -0400, tu disais:- >P.S. Yesterday I got a noodle soup from a Thai restaurant in >Brookline, Massachusetts. It was sort-of like what I described: a >tom yum broth, fortified with red bean paste, containing fish cakes >and balls, squid, surimi (I think), wide rice noodles, and a green >(maybe spinach). It was quite good. Similar, if not identical, to a wonderful dish from Singapore called Laksa. We made a sort of Laksa/Gai Tom Kha combination for supper last night. Magic Starting with the recipe below, done in half quantities, we used extra chicken (leg meat, of course) stir fried, and added some soaked, stir fried rice sticks, bean sprouts, and a handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced. MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Gai Tom Kha (Thai Chicken and Coconut Milk Soup) Categories: Main dish, Thai, Soups, Poultry Yield: 6 Servings 4 c Medium coconut milk 1 1/2 c Chicken stock 3 sl dried galangal; kha 6 sl fresh galangal 4 Stalks fresh lemon grass, -bruised, cut into 2-inch -lengths 6 Fresh Serrano chiles, -sliced into rounds 1 lg Whole chicken breast * 4 tb Fish sauce (nam pla) 5 Fresh Kaffir lime leaves -(makrut), if available 2 Fresh limes, juice 2 tb Chopped coriander leaves * cut into 1/2-inch pieces (with or without bones, see note) Combine coconut milk, chicken stock, galangal, lemon grass and 4 of the chiles in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock; discard galangal and lemon grass. Return stock to a boil, add chicken and simmer until tender, about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce, citrus leaves and remaining chiles. Stir in the lime juice. Garnish with coriander. Serves 6 to 8. NOTE: I like to use boned chicken breast if I'm cooking for guests. For the best flavor, however, use a whole small chicken chopped into small pieces with the bones; increase the cooking time until chicken is tender. MMMMM -- Amitiés Ian Hoare