I'm fond of soups and this one is no exception. Since I make chicken
stock fairly often, and not always know what I'm going to cook, I omit thyme
and other aromatic herbs used in european stocks. The recipe below is based on the chicken
stock I've posted here.
Now lets make a Tom Yum Gai, rich in synergic umami tastes.
Tom Yum simply means "hot and spicy" and denotes a soup,
the signature dish from Thailand par excellence. Tom Yum Gai is a chicken soup, but there are many variations of this soup, Tom Yam Goong
is a classic prawn soup.
The first time I made this soup, I lacked both galangal, kaffir lime leaves
and Thai chili paste, but nevertheless it
turned out a delicious soup. The point is, as I have since experienced, to ensure
balance between the spicy, sour and salty tastes in the soup, with a little sweetness and some herbs with
slightly bitter notes added. Moreover, one must ensure umami from stock, fish sauce,
mushrooms and tomatoes.
I’ve discovered that the balance of primary tastes is more important
than one single ingredient as long as I have good homemade chicken stock as a
foundation. I’ve made lots of variations of this soup where lemon substitute lime,
I’ve used parsley instead of cilantro, ginger instead of galangal,
and red curry paste instead of chili paste. If I don’t have kaffir lime leaves, I use zest from half a lime.
And I always use good homemade chicken stock, lemon grass, fish sauce and some
mushrooms. This soup is healthy,
surprisingly hearty, almost fat-free, and it spreads promising scents around
the kitchen. I love that!
Ingredients for 3 servings:
For the
soup stock:
1 liter (2quarts) chicken stock (synergic umami)
1 stalk lemon grass, cut into quarters and knocked lightly so the
fibers tear.
2-3 cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
2-3 kaffer lime leaves
2 tablespoons fish sauce (free glutamate)
1tbs red curry paste or chili paste. (Red curry contains both a little
fish sauce and shrimp paste, both rich in umami)
1 teaspoon sugar
The important
umami rich ingredients to add
300g/ 10 oz chicken meat, breast or thighs
60g/2 oz fungi, preferably fresh shiitake or enoki mushrooms in thin slices
4 cherry tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges, or 1 tomato in small cubes
Other
ingredients to provide great taste
½ - 1 tbsp peanut oil or a neutral oil with high smoking point.
1 small onion or 2 shalotts, finely sliced
2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime.
METHOD
Heat the stock with the ingredients for the soup stock mentioned above and let simmer for
10 minutes. Strain.
Prepare the garnish for the soup.
If you have raw chicken meat, cut into fine strips and fry in oil for
one minute, then lower the temperature, add onions and chili and cook until
soft, 4-5 minutes. If you use cooked
chicken meat, add it to the soup a few minutes before serving.
Add onions and the chili to the strained soup stock. Bring to a boil.
Add the mushrooms and the tomato wedges. Boil further till you see the
mushrooms slices are cooked through and the tomatoes are still holding their shape.
Add the lime juice.
Taste. Is there balance between the
basic tastes? Is the soup salty enough, sour enough, strong enough and with a
little sweetness? Can you feel the taste of umami filling your mouth? In order to identify the basic taste properly, close your nostrils
between your thumb and index finger. Now it is easier to identify the basic tastes. Adjust taste to your liking with a little more fish sauce, red curry and limejuice.
Serve in deep soup bowles with a sprinkling of cilantro and lime wedges
Enjoy!
COMMENTS ON THIS RECIPE
Other garnish? Yes, of course, use whatever you have in the fridge. You can add leek, chinese cabbage or various herbs.
You can also use this recipe to make a soup with fish, seafood and/or prawns
The soup can also be served with cooked rice or noodles
