Yummy Thai Lemongrass Soup!!

When I got home  from my travels I was CRAVING something warm and comforting. I was craving a steaming bowl of this soup called TOM YUM MEE that I had years ago at a restaurant. I used to go there all the time to get it for lunch. Now that I live several thousand miles from that place I can't just go about getting a carryout bowl of it so I decided to make my own. A trip to the market led me to create my own version of this Thai Soup. Tom = Soup, Yum = mixed/chopped/assembled by hand (I think) and Gai = Chicken. So I will call it Tom Yum Gai. Original eh? ;^)

Tom Yum Gai

This soup is really a three part dealy to me. So long as you have the first part assembled properly the next two parts can be switched up to suit your needs.

Part One: The Soup Base/Broth

The main flavors you want out of this soup are derived from the Lemongrass, Red Chili's, Cilantro and Lemon.

They combine together to be very light and refreshing. It depends on the flavors and heat that you want from the base that will determine just how much to add of each ingredient.

1 stalk of fresh lemongrass or two tablespoons of refrigerated lemongrass paste (I couldn't get fresh at the market, but they did have the paste) You’ll want to chop them up after you whack them with the side of your knife the way you would a clove of garlic. This releases the aromatic oils from the stalks.
1 cup of fresh leafy cilantro The Zest and Juice of One Lemon The Zest and Juice of One Lime
3 to 4 thin shaved slices of fresh ginger Red Chili's to Taste - I used a fresh Paste and used about a tablespoon, it just depends how hot you want it
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 stalks of green onion diced
2 or 3 cloves of Garlic The amounts are just what I prefer.

Mix it up to make the flavor you most prefer. I like mine spicy. ;) I also added more lemon juice a little later after having a taste.

Now you can either mix that together over a medium heat in a quart or so of water or you can use a chicken broth. I used a store bought low sodium organic free range chicken broth rather than make my own this time. Once you have that simmering on the stove you can move on to part two. (Let this simmer at least 30 minutes before adding part two.)

Part Two: The yummy Stuff floating in your soup

This section is totally up to you and your preference. I'll tell you what I did for this batch of soup though. ;) I was going to use Shrimp as that is the traditional meat ingredient for this soup, but the shrimp I purchased was slimy and had a very bad smell when I got it out of it's packaging so I pitched it. I bought it to use that day.

Oh yes there will be complaining to that store. :/

So instead I used some chicken breasts I had purchased Tuesday afternoon as well. I rinsed them and removed any fatty bits and put them whole into the pot with the soup base. I let them simmer at a medium high heat for an hour or so. Do not boil these. After an hour they looked and felt pretty done so I removed them with tongs and set them on a plate to cool.

Then I put some cheese cloth over another pan and scooped/poured the soup base into the cheese cloth in the other pot. I did this so I could separate the golden yummy soup broth from the herbs and veggies that made it so. After a few hours of simmering they weren't very pretty and looked all mushy and not very yummy. Plus you'll want to be able to enjoy the clear perfection of this soup without all those bits. Once I had strained and separated that out I returned the soup base to the original pot and let it began to simmer again.

This is also the time to add water to lighten your soup up. You can add a quart or just a few cups. Depends on how much stock you have and how flavorful you want it. It should start to become lightly transparent as you add the water to it. By this time the chicken was cool enough to shred with a fork. It was very tender and I literately just held it and moved the fork over it to shred. Once it was shredded I added it back to the pot with the soup. Now you can add in whatever light flavor veggies you want to have in your soup such as mushrooms. I added a container of rinsed sliced up mushrooms. Now we are ready for the third and final part of this soup.

Part Three: Rice or Noodles

You can either make up some Rice Noodles or Rice to go with this. Since you don’t want your rice or noodle to get to mushy from sitting around in soup you only add them together at the time of consumption. I made Basmati Rice this time. I made a batch of it up after I shredded the chicken. Once it was done the soup is ready to serve. Place a serving of Rice in your bowl and then ladle your soup mixture over the rice. I like more of the golden lemongrass broth and my honey likes more of the chicken mixture so I put a little broth into his and then use a slotted spoon to grab more of the solid goodies for him. Now if you wish you can top your soup with some sliced green onions for flavor and to enhance to appearance of your soup. If you wish for more spiciness you can sprinkle on some dried red pepper flakes as well. :D

That’s my simple and super yummy recipe for making Tom Yum Gai. I had it for dinner Tuesday night and lunch yesterday and I'm very happy. I'll be making this more often as Lemongrass is one of my favorite flavors. *dances*

For Dave and Cookie: Proof that THEY are up to something. o.0

That's my Cat. She's on my head waiting for the blankey to fall off my face so she can decide the best way to eat me in my sleep. This morning she was nibbling on my nose when I woke up. It's only a matter of time. First they'll act weird, maybe chew on some yarn and then it's your nose. Who knows what's next. Eyes. o.0 Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Comments

[Cookie]

I love that cat! I love that she's watching over you while you sleep. She's such a good girl.

Hungry now, btw. Your fault.

*hugs*

[Devorah]

Not fair! You have me craving Thai food before breakfast!

Yes, I think the cat is up to something. Definetly can't trust them.

[Scoutj]

WAY too complicated for me. Can you just come make me some? OR send it to me? Please? :)

[Soup and Song]

Wow - this is one of the reasons why I love blogging. Last night I'd been fighting a cold and was craving this dish exactly but the place I tried to find it in my neighborhood was closed. I almost gave in to the sniffles, til I found your blog entry and realized that I had almost all the ingredients to make this soup. After a quick trip to the market, I was on my way with your recipe as my guide. When I finally sat down to enjoy the soup, not only was it delicious, I think it was the finest moment of my week, and the chili peppers kicked the cold right out of me. Many thanks for sharing! P.S. I dig your blog :)

[Rhonda]

I so love Tom Yum Gai.... my ex use to make fun of me because I don't eat meat and ask for it with tofu... so what would it be called?
Thanks for the recipe!

[Monkey Socks]

Ahhh I don't think I am talented enough to make the soup ... I think you should save me some. :-)
The picture of your Cat is so cute; I hope to meet her some day. Do you think she could be the knitting mascot at our LYS? We just have to tell Florrie she another cat. Happy Tuesday ... don't you just love the snow? Don't work too hard this week.
Love,
Monkey Socks

[Roger]

Love this soup! I like to add a roasted flavor to mine by first lightly oven-roasting the lemongrass, thai chilies, and garlic. Yum!

Great recipe!