Thai chicken soup with oyster mushrooms and lemongrass

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 6 g chicken broth, strong bouillon
• 300 g coconut water (available from Asian shops for drinks)
• 2 tbsp light fish sauce (kecap ikan “King Lobster”)
• 30 g sliced ​​lemongrass, fresh or frozen (approx. 2 stalks)
• 20 g sliced ​​ginger, fresh or frozen
• 25 g galangal slices, fresh or frozen
• 10 g sliced ​​turmeric, fresh or frozen
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 small chili pepper(s), red, fresh or frozen (see note)
• 300 g chicken breast fillet(s), fresh or frozen
• 4 small onions, red
• 3 m.-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 100 g king oyster mushroom(s), fresh, alternatively brown-capped mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 1 pinch(s) chicken broth, stock
• 100 g coconut milk, creamy
• 1 pinch(s) mace powder, alternatively nutmeg
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper, from the mill
• 1 tbsp sweet and sour hot sauce, Thai style No. 3 (see my recipes in the database)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tomatoes, fully ripe
• n. B. Pepperoni threads, red
• e.g. walnut kernels

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

First things first: If you have all the frozen ingredients for the broth, you can skip this section. Wash the fresh lemongrass, remove the tough stalk at the bottom, discard the brown and wilted leaves, and use only the white or light green parts. Cut these into thin slices. Remove the outer, green leaves if necessary. Cut the fresh, washed, and peeled ginger crosswise into thin slices. Wash, peel, and thinly slice the galangal, removing the tough root ends (eyes). Wash, peel, and thinly slice the fresh turmeric. Wash the kaffir lime leaves and use them whole. Wash the small red chili, cut it crosswise into thin rings, leaving the seeds on, and discarding the stem. Place all the broth ingredients in a lidded pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, remove the ginger slices from the strained liquid, and press them into the broth using a garlic press. Set the broth aside. To garnish, peel and quarter the tomatoes, discarding the white-green stems and seeds. Remove the stems from the peppers, wash them, slice them lengthwise, open them, remove the seeds, and cut them crosswise into thin strips. Meanwhile, cut the chicken fillet into approximately 2 cm squares. Trim both ends of the onions and garlic cloves, peel them, and roughly chop them. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onions and garlic cloves and fry until translucent. Add the chicken and stir-fry until all the meat has turned white. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls. Trim the king oyster mushrooms, removing the mycelium stems at the bottom, and chop the mushrooms into approximately 1 cm cubes. Wash the fresh celery, shake it dry, and pick and chop only the unblemished leaves. Weigh frozen goods and let them thaw. Melt the butter in a wok, then add the diced mushrooms and fry for about 6 minutes. After 3 minutes, add the stock and continue stirring. Deglaze with the coconut milk and stir in the spices. Finally, add the hot broth and the seasonings and mix gently. While still warm, ladle into serving bowls, garnish, and serve. Note: In Thailand, four red chilies are usually used, as the coconut milk significantly reduces their spiciness.