Tom Kah Gai - a recipe

This recipe came out of a cookbook that we've been cooking out of a lot lately. It's called, "Good Food, Great Medicine." by Mea Hassell & Miles Hassell, M.D. The book is full of great information on how to eat for good heart health and to lower your odds of cancer. I love that he uses real food for his recipes. Lots of grains and vegetables and he doesn't sacrifice flavor in the quest for eating well. If you are interested in finding ways to eat better, I highly recommend his book (not to mention his classes which are free)!

Here is one of my current favorites.

Tom Kah Gai

5-6 cups cooked brown rice made as follows:

For the brown rice -

4 cups water

1 t salt

2 cups brown basmati rice

Bring water to boil in a heavy 2 1/2 quart pot. Stir in salt & rice and bring back to a boil. Cover & place in oven for 60 minutes. While the rice is baking, get started on the soup.

I am a slow cook, so it usually takes me a full hour to make the soup while the rice is cooking as I chat and do things my kids need/want. Most people won't take a full hour to put together this quick soup!

Tom Kah Gai Soup

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 Tablespoons curry powder

2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons freshly crushed garlic

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup Thai fish sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 cans (14 ounces each) coconut milk (NOT light)

2 packets sliced mushrooms (8 ounces each)

12 green onions

1 1/2 pounds thinly-sliced chicken breasts, raw

lime zest from juiced limes

1 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Heat chicken stock in a 5 quart pot over medium heat. While stock in heating, add first grouping of ingredients. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer again. Add sliced mushrooms and sliced raw chicken. The thin slices of chicken will cook very quickly, so only allow the soup to come back to a gentle simmer. Add green onions and lime zest.

Finally, stir fresh cilantro through soup. Serve with a steaming pot of brown basmati rice.

YUM