Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g chicken breast or chicken fillet
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 1 jar bamboo shoot(s)
• some salt
• some pepper
• some flour or cornstarch
• 1 clove(s) garlic, freshly squeezed
• 2 tbsp paste (lemongrass paste)
• 2 tbsp curry paste, green
• 8 stalks of lemongrass, small, possibly pickled from the jar
• 5 small chili peppers, dried
• 1 tbsp turmeric, OR:
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 8 large shrimp(s) (tiger shrimp)
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• e.g. lemongrass or saffron threads for decoration

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Coconut soup with chicken and tiger prawns

Wash the chicken breast and pat dry. Then cut into approximately 1cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Dust the meat with a little flour or cornstarch and mix well. The cubes should no longer stick together. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and fry the chicken cubes briefly but quickly. Once they have taken on some color, deglaze with the stock. Quickly add the coconut milk and, one after the other, the freshly crushed garlic (not necessary), the pastes, and turmeric or saffron. Add the bamboo shoots, whole lemongrass stalks, and chili. Let the whole thing simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. If you don’t like the coconut flavor as intensely, you can use more stock and less coconut milk. Shortly before serving, heat a little oil in a pan and lightly salt the shrimp and fry them on both sides. Caution! Don’t cook too hot or for too long, as otherwise they will become too dry inside. Depending on the size, 1 minute per side is sufficient. Season the soup to your liking, adding a little more salt or garlic if desired. Ladle the soup into slightly taller bowls, top with shrimp, and garnish with a lemongrass stalk or a few strands of saffron.