Goal #72. Try 100 new recipes (26/100): Tom Kha (coconut soup)

Another Thai recipe from my dental hygienist! :) This one I made two weeks ago for my church soup competition...and WON! It's the first time I've won any cooking contest. It kind of feels like cheating to win when I just followed a recipe. It also feels triumphant. 5/5 stars, obviously.


Coconut Soup (Tom Kha)

1-2 lbs chicken, beef, or shrimp (thinly slide chicken or beef)
3 c chicken broth
1 c coconut cream (Mae Ploy or Chaokoh--go to your local Asian market and they'll hook you up)
1 c mushrooms sliced and/or your favorite veggies (squash, zucchini, carrots, red pepper...)
1-3 slices Galangal
1 stalk lemon grass (smashed at stem and cut 1 1/2 in)
3-4 Kaffir lime leaves (tear off stem) (op[tional)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime jiuce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp accent (MSG...optional) <-- I have no idea what this means, so I didn't do it
Garnish lime slice & cilantro

Kaffir lime leaves and coconut cream

Galangal and fish sauce

Directions:

1. Combine broth, coconut creme, lemon grass, galangal, and lime leaves. Bring to a low boil. Simmer 5 mins.
   
2. Strain out lemon grass, galangal, and lime leaves *do not eat lime leaves and galangal*
   
3. add meat, vegetables, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and accent
4. bring to a low boil
5. simmer on low for 5 minutes
6. garnish with a squeeze of lime and cilantro

Note: This does NOT make much soup. It was probably 4-6 servings.

The final product...I forgot to take a pic of it in a bowl

Goal #72. Try 100 new recipes (24-25/100): Massaman Curry + Mango Sticky Rice

Thai food is my favorite. And I FINALLY tried making some last week for my dinner group. Tried, and succeeded! I got the recipes from my dental hygienist, and they're pretty fantastic.

The food is fantastic even if my food photography skills are not...

Massaman curry 

2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

1 19 oz can coconut cream (Mae Ploy or Chaokoh)

1-1.5 lb sliced chicken or beef (slice thin)

2 blocks palm sugar

1/3 c roasted peanut or cashew

2 (optional) carrots (peel, cut into 1" long)

3 Tbsp massaman curry paste

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp Tamarind liquid/concentrate

1.5 c medium size potatoes or jumbo sweet potato, cut into 1.5" chunks

1. On medium heat, put vegetable oil in a pot, and then add massaman curry paste. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add 1/3 can of coconut milk and stir-fry about 3-5 minutes
3. Add chicken or beef, stir-fry for 4-6 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the coconut milk and 1/2 can of water (using coconut milk can)
5. add potatoes, fish sauce, sugar, tamarind liquid, roasted peanut or cashew.
6. simmer for 20-25 minutes. If too thick, add water. If too thin, boil longer.
7. remove from heat. If it's too mild, add a little fish sauce, sugar, or tamarind liquid. If it's too spicy, use less curry paste next time.
8. Serve over Jasmine rice.

My dinner group LOVED it. It was super easy to make, tastes great the next day, and is delicious. I give it a whole hearted 5/5 stars.
Note: I tripled the recipe and got 16 servings out of it, give or take.

Mango Sticky Rice

If you remember, I tried making mango sticky rice last year and didn't love it. Other people loved it, but I was disappointed because it wasn't as good as the restaurants' version. This recipe is as good! It tastes amazing! It does NOT last (the next day it was nasty and bore some resemblance to sugar cookie dough rather than coconut), but it tastes so good fresh that I still give it 5/5 stars.

1.5 19 oz cans coconut cream (Mae Ploy or Chaokoh)

1 tsp salt

1 1/3 c sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. Soak the sticky rice and cook them as directed on page 13 (which wasn't helpful since my dental hygienist didn't send me that page. But I just synthesized random websites about cooking sticky rice. Hint: it's supposed to soak in water overnight! I just soaked mine for 30 mins, cheater method)
2. While the rice is cooking, put coconut milk, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil in a saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Remove it from the heat when it boils. Reserve 1 cup of the coconut sauce and leave it aside for serving later.
3. After rice is cooked, put the sticky rice in a big bowl and pour the remaining coconut sauce over the rice. The coconut sauce should cover the rice. Stir evenly. Cover for 3-5 minutes to let the coconut milk soak into the rice.
4. Serve warm with fresh sliced mango and drizzle the reserved coconut sauce over the mango.