Tom Kha Gai soup with Bavarian prawn bread

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 2 cans of coconut milk (400 ml each)
• 250 ml chicken broth
• 5 stalks of lemongrass
• 4 stalks of coriander
• 7 cm galangal, peeled, sliced
• 3 chili peppers, red, whole
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 400 g chicken breast fillet(s), cut into small cubes or strips
• 150 g straw mushrooms from the can or fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 2 limes, juice
• Fish sauce to taste
• 1 tbsp Thai chili paste
• 200 g prawns, cleaned, peeled
• 1 small garlic clove(s), peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 egg white
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 spring onions
• 5 slices of white bread
• 5 tbsp sesame oil, toasted
• 1 egg(s)
• sesame
• Sunflower oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 03.08.22

Cut the lemongrass into 4 cm long pieces and pound them lightly with the back of a knife. Peel and slice the galangal. Cut the chili into small rings. Wash the coriander and trim the roots (careful, you’ll need them later). Place the lemongrass, galangal, chili, coriander roots, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chili paste, and about 3-4 tablespoons of coconut milk in a large pot and heat gently. This should form a nice, homogenous mass or paste. This is essentially how you prepare the store-bought Tom Kha paste. Since the roots, leaves, etc. will be fished out later, you can also put them in a tea bag or something similar. However, in my opinion, this distorts the flavor. After simmering on low heat for about 5-10 minutes, bring the broth and half of the coconut milk to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the straw mushrooms or button mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the chicken and cook on low heat for a few minutes; it should remain tender. Add the remaining coconut milk and season with lime juice, a little sugar if desired, and fish sauce. Now remove the galangal, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, and lemongrass. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chili strips and coriander. Clean the prawns, removing any intestines, and then cutting them into small pieces. Place them in a blender along with the finely chopped ginger and garlic, the egg white, sugar, and soy sauce. Blend until you get a nice, smooth mixture. The mixture will appear slightly foamy, which is caused by the egg white and is how it should be. Let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes, ideally in the refrigerator. It can rest for considerably longer. In my case, I use farmhouse or homemade bread, but any type of toast or similar will also work. Remove the edges or crust from the bread or toast and cut it in half to create two triangles. Then brush one side of the bread with toasted sesame oil. This gives the prawn bread a special touch. Then spread the prawn mixture onto the side coated with sesame oil. Make sure it is spread evenly to the edges. Next, beat the whole egg and brush the side with the prawn mixture with it. Once that is done, add a few sesame seeds on top as a topping. Now heat 2-3 cm of frying oil in a large pan or pot and deep fry the bread. Make sure that you fry the uncoated side first and after about 2 minutes turn it over to the prawn side. Deep fry for another 2 minutes and then serve immediately while hot. The prawn bread is best served with Tom Kha Gai soup. Markus prepared this recipe as a starter in the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 3 from Tegernsee – on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.