Thai-Inspired Chicken Coconut Soup
A tom-kha-style Thai chicken coconut soup with lime, chili, ginger, tamarind and basil.
Ingredients
| 1 | lime, zested and 1/2 juiced | |
| 1 | red chili pepper, grated | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | ginger, grated (for marinade) |
| 2-3 | cloves garlic, grated | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | vegetable or coconut oil |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | honey |
| 1 bunch | basil leaves, chopped (reserve half for the soup) | |
| 1 pinch | salt | |
| 2 | chicken thighs with legs (or 2 diced chicken breasts) | |
| 1/2 | onion, diced | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | ginger, diced (for soup) |
| 2 | cloves garlic, diced | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | fish sauce |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | tamarind paste |
| 12 oz | 340 g | coconut milk, fresh or canned |
| 1/4 | lemon, juiced | |
| — | salt, to taste | |
| — | dried chili flakes, to taste |
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Place the chicken in a plastic bag and pour over the marinade. Let stand 20-30 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 hours in the fridge (remove 15-20 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature).
- Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown on the outside, then remove.
- Add more oil, then add the onions and a pinch of dried chili flakes; fry until translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ginger, garlic and reserved red pepper skins and fry 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Add the fish sauce and tamarind paste and stir well to combine, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove the charred bits.
- Return the chicken to the pot, followed by the coconut milk. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and beginning to flake apart (watch closely, coconut milk boils over easily).
- Add a pinch of salt, red chili flakes, remaining lime juice, a dash of lemon juice and the remaining chopped basil. Taste and adjust. Plate, garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with a side of freshly-made rice.