Tom Kha

I lied the green beans I made for Thanksgiving will not be this post but my next post;)  I have been on a really good kick of working out and mostly eating healthy lately and my body has been feeling amazing because of it.  Do you ever have those moments when you are in the middle of your workout and all of a sudden your body's strength takes over and each movement becomes that much more powerful?  Well that has been where I am at and it feels good because I have put in a lot of hard work getting there...now let's hope the holiday season doesn't throw me off haha.  In other fun news I am finally booking my flight to go out and visit one of my best friends ever in Austin, TX this spring.  Not only am I ecstatic to see her and her husband but I've never been to Austin and have heard wonderful things about the music and food scenes.  It will be a long overdue epic adventure that I will have so much to write about when I get back, especially the food.  Onto the soup, I adapted this recipe and made my favorite Thai soup ever...I can't even go to a Thai restaurant without ordering it.  I hope you enjoy this on a crisp cold fall evening like I did last night.

Serves 6

The Ingredients
1 1” piece ginger, grated
1 Tbsp. lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and the rings cut in half
2 roma tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce (or to desired hotness)
1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, cut in half
1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemongrass paste
Cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lime wedges (for serving)


The Process
1.  Bring lemongrass, ginger, lime zest and juice, and broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors are melded, 8–10 minutes.

2.  Add chicken and return to a boil. Reduce heat, add mushrooms, onion, and tomatoes and simmer, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft, 20–25 minutes.

3.  Mix in coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and garlic chili sauce.  Then divide soup among bowls. Serve with cilantro and lime wedges.