This is Part 2 of a 4-part series.
In a few months’ time, many of us will have rolled up our sleeves and joyously received a memorable shot in the arm. Until then, there is chicken soup — which boasts the welcome powers of soothing, comforting, nourishing, restoring health.
But chicken soup can do more than cure and coddle: It can also transport, delight, surprise the palate and wake up the senses. In the introduction to this series, we traveled to Rio in a bowl of soup — chef Junior Borges’ Canja de Galinha. We headed to Ethiopia in a bowl of the peanut-chicken soup known as Ye Ocholoni Ina Doro Shorba. Then we circled back stateside in a bowl of Ashkenazi Jewish chicken noodle soup, which for many Americans evokes a vestigial nostalgia for a vague notion of the old country, wherever in Eastern Europe that was.
Now, stow your tray table and prepare for another string of delicious voyages. Each stop on this leg of our journey is refreshingly easy — for each uses purchased chicken broth as its base.
Our first stop is Bangkok, and the tangy, herbal flavors of tom kha gai — coconut-galangal soup scented with lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. Surprisingly, Thailand’s signature chicken soup is easy to make. “If you can smash things, cut things and boil water, you can pull off this classic in your first try,” writes Leela Punyaratabandhu, author of Simple Thai Food, from which we have adapted the recipe.
She’s right: When I first made the soup, I was a newcomer to Thai cooking, and I was blown away by how easy and fabulous it was.
Getting your hands on the essential ingredients is the only potentially tricky part, but fortunately we have a great source for Thai ingredients here in North Texas: Hiep Thai market in Garland.
Hiep Thai normally stocks fresh makrut lime leaves, beautiful large bunches of lemongrass and galangal (an aromatic root that looks a bit like ginger, but has a different flavor) that’s fresher and more tender than what you tend to find in non-Asian supermarkets. The fish sauce, coconut milk, Thai chiles and oyster mushrooms that you can find in many stores can also be picked up there. Many of those ingredients are also available online. Even the fresh ones, including the makrut lime leaves, can be purchased at Temple of Thai. (Note: Makrut limes are sometimes referred to as kaffir limes, a term we do not use, as it is an extremely offensive term used in South Africa to refer to Black Africans.)
If you’re anything like me, once you’ve assembled the ingredients, putting together the tom kha gai will be a revelation. Do take a moment to enjoy the gorgeous aromas released when you smash lemongrass and tear makrut lime leaves; to me that part was almost as lovely as sitting down and sharing the soup with my family.
Next stop is Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula — you wanted to go to Tulum this winter, right?
Sopa de Lima, a light, bright, chicken-and-lime soup, is popular up and down the Yucatán, writes Jenn Louis in her terrific new cookbook The Chicken Soup Manifesto. In her version, she swaps a combination of regular (Persian) lime and grapefruit juice for the region’s native lima ágria. Spices and herbs — cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, cloves, garlic, oregano and bay leaves — add some depth of flavor.
A big handful of chopped cilantro and hot, crisp tortilla strips are the finishing touch. You could certainly swap the tortilla strips for store-bought tortilla chips if you don’t feel like frying the strips, but just-fried, they do add a lovely flourish. (And it’s a great way to use corn tortillas that have seen better days.)
Finally, if visiting Tibet is on your bucket list, I invite you to join me in a bowl of Thukpa. If you’re the type of eater who can find fiery foods comforting (it has noodles!), this one’s for you.
I found the recipe in the new cookbook Chaat: Recipes From the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India. “The first time I tasted thukpa was after I arrived on a train in Guwahati on a cold winter’s day,” writes James Beard Award-winning chef Maneet Chauhan, who wrote the book with Jody Eddy. “Seeking warmth, I followed the aroma of chicken soup to a vendor spooning golden thukpa into dented metal bowls. In that single bowl of soup I found all the reassurance that the long journey had been worth it.” It became a favorite comfort food for her and her husband when they spent chilly winters in New York City.
Chock-full of shredded cabbage, carrot, bell peppers, green beans, chicken and rice noodles, scented with ginger and cumin, fired up with serrano chile, garnished with scallions and bean sprouts, it’s a nourishing meal in a bowl.
Former Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Leslie Brenner, now a restaurant consultant, writes about cooking at Cooks Without Borders.
Tom Kha Gai (Coconut-Galangal Chicken Soup)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 stalk lemongrass
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2-inch piece galangal, thinly sliced
4 makrut lime leaves, torn into pieces and bruised
8 ounces oyster or white mushrooms
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
4 or 5 fresh bird’s eye or Thai chiles, bruised
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
Cut the chicken thighs or breasts against the grain and on the diagonal into thin, bite-size pieces. If using oyster mushrooms, separate them into individual pieces. If the pieces are large, cut them into bite-size pieces. If using white mushrooms, halve the small ones and quarter the bigger ones.
Trim off and discard the leafy parts of the lemongrass stalk, remove the tough outer leaves of the bulb portion until the smooth, pale green core is exposed, and trim off the root end. Quarter the bulb crosswise and smash the pieces with a heavy object until they are bruised and split. Set aside.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the chicken broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately turn down the heat so the liquid is barely bubbling. Add the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves and steep for 1 minute. Add the chicken, mushrooms and fish sauce, stir, and increase the heat slightly so the liquid is simmering gently. Once the chicken is no longer pink, after about 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
Add the lime juice and chiles and stir. Taste and correct the seasoning as needed. The soup should be sour and salty with natural sweetness from the coconut milk. Sprinkle the cilantro on top just before serving.
Note: Thai cooks do not usually remove the chunky herbs from food when they serve it, as it is understood that they are not to be eaten. But you can fish out the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves before serving if you like.
Makes 4 servings.
SOURCE: Simple Thai Food by Leela Punyaratabandhu
Sopa de Lima (Yucatán-style Chicken-Lime Soup)
One 3-pound chicken, quartered, or two whole legs and two bone-in breasts, about 3 pounds
6 cups chicken broth
1 large white onion, halved
8 garlic cloves (4 peeled, 4 unpeeled)
2 dried bay leaves
4 whole cloves
One 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
15 whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 roma or plum tomatoes, halved
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus 1 extra lime, to garnish
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 ½ ounces cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
Salt to taste
Tortilla Strips (recipe follows)
Place the chicken, broth, half of the onion, the 4 peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and oregano in a large pot. Weigh down the chicken pieces under a few small plates to keep it submerged. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and gently simmer until the chicken pieces are cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes for the breasts and 15 to 18 minutes for the legs and thighs. The meat should separate from the end of the leg bone when cooked, and an instant-read thermometer will read at least 165 F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or breast.
When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot, let it cool enough to handle, then remove the chicken skin and discard. Using your hands, shred all the meat and discard the bones. Set the meat aside. Strain the broth and reserve.
Meanwhile, char the remaining unpeeled garlic and halved tomatoes (cut-side down) in a cast-iron, heavy-bottomed pan or comal over high heat until blackened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Peel the garlic and finely chop them; finely chop the tomato halves and the remaining onion as well.
Wipe out the soup pot, then place it over medium-high heat. Add the chopped tomato, onion and garlic, along with the bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Add the reserved strained broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the lime and grapefruit juices, the shredded chicken and the cilantro to the soup and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt, if necessary. Serve with the tortilla strips and lime wedges on the side.
Tortilla Strips: To make the tortilla strips, warm 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add 4 small corn tortillas, sliced into strips, and fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tortilla strips are mostly crisp all over. Transfer the strips to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Season with salt.
Makes 4 servings.
SOURCE: The Chicken Soup Manifesto by Jenn Louis
Thukpa (Tibetan Chicken Noodle Soup)
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 14.5-ounce can of chopped tomatoes, with their liquid)
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 serrano chiles, seeded and roughly chopped
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped green beans
1 can (8 ounces) sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup shredded green cabbage
6 ounces thin rice noodles
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
Finely chopped scallions, for garnish
Bean sprouts, for garnish
In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, serranos, cumin and oil and process until smooth. Transfer the paste to a heavy-bottomed soup pot along with the chicken and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrot, bell peppers, green beans, bamboo shoots and cabbage. Cover the pot halfway and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the noodles and lemon juice and simmer until the noodles are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Spoon the thukpa into bowls, garnish with the scallions and bean sprouts and serve hot.
Makes 6-8 servings.
SOURCE: Chaat: Recipes From the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India, by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy