Tom yum gai
A hot and sour Thai tom yum soup, made with chicken and an aromatic broth. This all-in-one recipe is easy to replicate at home with a few special ingredients. It makes four small portions – great for a starter or light meal.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, cut into chunks
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- thumb-sized piece galangal, peeled and sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 80g/3oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 200g/7oz chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 8 fresh lime leaves
- 5 tsp fish sauce
- 5 tsp lime juice
- a pinch sugar
- 1–2 tbsp Thai chilli jam (optional)
- small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve
Method
Add 850ml/1½ pints of water to a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion, chilli, galangal, lemongrass and chicken stock cube. Stir and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes until the onion has softened.
Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken and lime leaves to the pan. Return to the boil and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 5–8 minutes.
Now add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to the pan. Gently fold and remove from the heat. Stir in the Thai chilli jam, if using, and scatter over the coriander to finish and serve.