Chicken soup with coconut, lemongrass and galangal

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• 5 cm galangal, fresh
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 500 ml water
• 150 g oyster mushrooms
• 1 m.-sized tomato(s)
• 3 chili peppers, 1 green, 2 red
• 1 chicken breast fillet(s)
• 1 can coconut milk, 400 ml
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• some coriander leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Thai Tom Kha Gai Soup

Wash the lemongrass and cut diagonally into approximately 3 cm pieces. The larger the cut surface, the more flavor will be released into the soup. Wash the galangal and cut into thin slices, including the skin. Wash the lemon leaves and quarter them, leaving the center stalks intact. Clean the mushrooms and tear or cut them into bite-sized pieces. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into eighths. Cut the chili peppers lengthwise. Cut the flesh into approximately 4 cm strips. Heat the water in a pot with the lemongrass and galangal, bring to a boil, and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. If you don’t want to fish the lemongrass and galangal out of the soup while eating, remove them now. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, lemon leaves, and chilies to the soup. Cook for another 5 minutes at reduced heat. Only now add the coconut milk and chicken and bring back to a boil briefly. The chicken should only be cooked through so it stays moist and doesn’t become tough. The coconut milk shouldn’t be overcooked either, so the soup is more digestible. Now simply season with fish sauce, sugar, and lemon juice, turn off the heat, and let the soup simmer for a few minutes. Finely chop the cilantro to taste and sprinkle it over the soup. Tip: Makes one bowl per person. If you’re cooking the soup as a main course, I recommend double the amount!