Thai chicken and coconut milk soup

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1 12-ounce can coconut milk
1/4 pound chicken breast, cut into small chunks
The juice and grated peel of 1 lime
1 4" piece of lemon grass, cut into very thin (1/16") slices on the
diagonal
3 or 4 slices of galanga (fresh ginger may be substituted)
Hot chile peppers to taste -- preferably Thai birds, with serranos
an acceptable substitute, cut into thin circles
Cilantro for garnish

Pour the lime juice on the chicken and let stand while you prepare
the rest of the soup. In a medium saucepan, place the coconut milk,
lemon grass, grated lime peel, galanga or ginger, and (optionally)
chiles. (The optional part is that if you don't want the whole dish
to taste spicy, add the chiles later; the earlier you add them, the
hotter the resulting dish.) Bring the coconut milk to a simmer.

When the soup is simmering, add the lime-soaked chicken pieces and
stir to distribute them. Reduce the heat so the soup stays just
below a boil and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or till the chicken
pieces are finished cooking. Remove from heat and serve immediately
with fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.

Now, the *best* way I ever had this soup was with pieces of fresh
grouper instead of chicken. I also added slices of kumquats instead
of the ginger, and used the sweet Fresno chiles instead of Thai birds.
We also served it over Vietnamese rice noodles. If you can't find
grouper, it'd be good with any tender, delicate white fish -- sole,
maybe, or a very fresh sea bass, or maybe little chunks of monkfish.
I believe I've had this with shrimp as well

Evil Jungle Prince with Chicken

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1/2 lb boneless chicken breast (or 1/2 lb mixed vegetables, see note below)
2 to 6 small red chile peppers
1/2 stalk fresh lemon grass
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 T oil
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 4 T fish sauce, based on personal taste (omit for veggie version)
10 to 15 basil leaves
1 c chopped cabbage

Thinly cut chicken into 2-inch strips. (If doing veggie version, cut
vegetables into thin strips.) Grind together red chili peppers, lemon grass,
and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or pound in a mortar. Heat oil to
medium-high and saute pepper mixture for 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and
cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken (or vegetables) and cook for 5 minutes or
until cooked (same time for veggies). Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in
fish sauce (if using), salt, and basil. Serve on a bed of chopped cabbage.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: For mixed vegetables, choose from among bell peppers, string beans,
water chestnuts, tomatoes (small cherry tomatoes are best), bamboo shoots,
miniature corn, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, and
mushrooms. I particularly like string beans or asparagus, a few cherry
tomatoes, shredded (rather than sliced) bamboo shoots, miniature corn, and
some straw mushrooms or slender (Japanese) eggplant.

Green Bean Curry

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1 lb fresh green beans [if necessary, you may substitute whole frozen ones]
2 T Thai Curry Paste (I like to use the "Key" brand packets of either
"Country Curry" or "Red Curry"; but they are all flavorful.
Mae Ploy and Tommy Tang are other good brands.
2 T vegetable oil
Bamboo shoots (optional; I like to use a large can of bamboo tips because
they are tender and I can cut them into 1/4 inch thick round slices.
You can also use a couple of the small cans of sliced bamboo shoots,
but they will not absorb the flavor as well. I think carrots cut into
coins would also be good, if you like those. I tried potatoes once,
but they just disintegrated.)
6 c chicken broth

Clean and pick green bean tips. In a dutch oven (or equivalent size vessel),
heat oil. Add curry paste and "fry" until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add
broth, green beans, bamboo shoots (or other vegetable). Bring to a rapid
boil and cook like that for about 15-20 minutes (watching that liquid doesn't
reduce too much; add water as necessary). Reduce heat to a hard simmer and
continue cooking until green beans are VERY done and have absorbed the
flavor of the curry broth. Serve in bowls over rice.

Red or Green Thai Curry

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You can add other things (holy basil, fish sauce,
chopped hot Thai chiles, lemon grass, galanga, shrimp paste, etc.).

2 T red or green curry paste (use more for hotter curry; Mae Ploy brand
is excellent
3 T vegetable oil
3/4 lb boneless chicken meat, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 cans (unsweetened) coconut milk (approx. 3 c in all)
1 c water or chicken broth
1/2 c baby corns
1/2 c straw mushrooms (or substitute other mushroom of your choice)
1/2 c sliced bamboo shoots
5 kaffir lime leaves (dried are fine; these are available in packages
on the bottom -- usually dusty -- shelf of the Asian market; they
look like dried, curled-up leaves)
1/2 t salt (more or less to taste)
if green curry, 10 fresh basil leaves
if red curry, 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips

Fry curry paste in oil in saucepan until fragrant. Add chicken (if
using) and saute for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Add
remaining ingredients except basil leaves or red bell pepper. Bring
just barely to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Just
before serving, stir in basil leaves or red bell pepper. Serve with
cooked Thai Jasmine rice

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

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3-4 cans coconut milk (make sure it's the unsweetened kind)
3 tbsp chopped scallions
1 to 3 tsp lemon grass
cilantro (preferably fresh. I sometimes leave this out. Niels says
that's defeating the whole point, but I think it still comes out
great)
tofu, cubed into smallish pieces.
chicken, also cubed to bite size.
mushrooms
1 carrot, grated
juice from loads of limes (8? i can never put in enough)
serrano chillies (or any other hot chili pepper, again preferably
fresh, but powdered will do)
1 tsp galanga powder

Heat the coconut milk in a pot. Add everything else. As the lemon grass is
inedible, put it in a tea ball and immerse the ball in the soup so you can
retrieve it later. Cook until the chicken is done and the soup is hot (30
minutes?). Taste to see if it needs more limes (it always does) or more hot
peppers (it's better to start mild and build up to the desired level of
spicyness).

Eggplant with Tofu

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3/4 lb Japanese eggplant (about 3 cups sliced)
1/4 lb tofu
6 T oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 to 5 red chili peppers, seeded and chopped
10 to 15 sweet basil leaves
1 to 3 T yellow bean sauce (yellow bean sauce from Thailand is
saltier than sauce from Hong Kong or China, so season to
taste)

Slice unpeeled eggplant crosswise into slices 1/8-inch thick.
Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat oil in skillet; add garlic and
stir-fry until light brown (don't burn!). Add eggplant and tofu
and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; mix
gently. Serve immediately, since eggplant and basil turn dark
if dish sits after cooking. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

ALMOND LAKE WITH MANDARIN ORANGES

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Ingredients:
------------
2 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp almond essence
1/3 cup ground rice
11 oz canned mandarin oranges
1/4 cup flaked toasted almonds

Instructions:
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Put the milk, sugar, essence and rice in a saucepan. Bring to the boil,
stirring constantly, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a dish, cover
and cool. Drain the mandarin oranges well. Spoon the rice into
individual dishes. Place the mandarin oranges on the rice and sprinkle
with the almonds.

FRIED SPINACH

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Ingredients:
------------
2 lb fresh spinach or 3/4 lb frozen leaf spinach
1 tblsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp soy sauce

Instructions:
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Wash the spinach thoroughly and drain off excess water, or defrost the
frozen spinach. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, add the leaf spinach
and fry over fierce heat for 1 minute, stirring all the time, until the
spinach softens. Add the salt and soy sauce, mix well and cook gently
for another minute.

PORK WITH MUSHROOMS

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Ingredients:
------------
1 lb lean pork
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp sherry
2 tblsp oil
4 oz fresh mushrooms
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup stock or water

Instructions:
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Cut the pork in paper thin slices, addthe soy sauce and sherry. Toss
well. Heat the oil and fry the meat over fierce heat, stirring all the
time, for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep hot. Wash and dry the
mushrooms. Slice them thinly and fry quickly in the remaining fat. Add
the meat again and mix well.

Mix the cornflour (cornstarch) to a smooth paste with the stock or water,
add to the pan and heat gently, stirring all the time, until slightly
thickened.

CRISP SKIN CHICKEN

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Ingredients:
------------
1 chicken (2 1/2 lb)
1 tblsp vinegar
2 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp honey
1 tblsp sherry
1 tsp molasses (treacle)
2 tblsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
peanot oil for deep frying

Instructions:
-------------
Put the chicken in a large saucepan and add boiling water to come
halfway up the sides of the chicken. Cover tightly and simmer until just
tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain, rinse under cold water and
dry with kitchen paper.

Mix together the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sherry and treacle
(molasses). Brush this all over the chicken and then hang the chicken in
an airy place to dry, for about 30 minutes. Brush over the remaining soy
sauce mixture and hang again for 20-30 minutes. Mix the flour and salt
together and rub well into the chicken skin. Fry in deep hot peanut oil
until golden and crisp. Drain well on absorbent kitchen paper.

Chop the chicken into 8 pieces and serve warm with the following dips:

Cinnamon Dip:
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1 tblsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together, place in a small saucepan and heat until very hot,
stirring constantly.

Pepper and Salt Dip:
--------------------
1 tblsp salt
1/2 tblsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix together, place in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly,
until the salt begins to brown.

Hoi Sin Sauce
-------------

Guests dip the pieces of chicken into the dips which are served
separately in small bowls.

Note:
-----
As this dish is eaten with the fingers, place finger bowls of cold water
on the table.