Thai Chicken Stock
This recipe is the base stock for the two most well-known Thai soups in the world: Shrimp Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong) and Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai). If you don't feel like making stock from scratch, you can short-cut this method by adding the aromatics to boxed chicken stock or chicken bone broth. It's also a good all-purpose stock for other dishes like Street-Style Basil Pork (Krapow Moo Sap).
Ingredients
| 1 | Chicken carcass or a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces |
| 8 cups (1.9 L) | Water |
| 3-inch (8-cm) piece | Galanga, skin on and thinly sliced |
| 2 stalks | Lemongrass, tough outer leaves discarded, sliced thinly on the bias |
| 2-3 | Kaffir lime leaves |
| 2 cloves | Garlic, peeled |
| 1 | Large shallot, peeled and sliced |
| 2 | Fresh Thai chilies, split to expose the seeds |
Instructions
Place the chicken carcass or pieces in an 8-quart (7.5-L) stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the carcass or pieces and rinse under cold running water until the sediment and scum have washed away. Dump out the cooking liquid from the pot and give it a quick rinse. Return the chicken to the pot and cover with 8 cups (1.9 L) of fresh water. Bring the stock to a full rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.
Add the galanga, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallot and chilies to the pot and allow to simmer. Skim off any foam and fat often, and continue to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Skim off any additional fat and strain the stock through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
If not using this stock immediately, you can hold it in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for 6 months.