If tom kah gai was my last meal on earth, I would be okay with that. Honestly. I love tom kah gai. In Portland, there are countless Thai food restaurants and carts and I have ordered this meal from virtually every thai place that I have ever eaten. While I can say with some confidence that phad thai is usually created equal, I can’t say this with the tom kah gai. Sometimes it’s too fishy, other times the coconut milk isn’t the main standout, and I can be very picky about the type and quality of meat that is included, along with what vegetables are chosen, if any even exist…and I definitely need me some veggies! I think my favorite preparation of this dish, ironically where I first experienced this culinary delight, can be found at the downtown location of E-San Thai.
I have always wanted to make this dish, but for some reason haven’t, so I was stoked when Mothering sent me the recipe (via Peggy’s Kitchen newsletter) and I knew I had to make it right away. If you do not already receive Peggy’s newsletter, I highly recommend that you do. Every week or so a new email is sent with an array of amazing, healthy meals. Not only that, but often in the footnotes, it offers suggestions on how to prepare the meal for your baby. This particular meal did not, however my son really enjoyed some of the creamy coconut milk for his supper. The original recipe can be found here, they suggest serving it with these multi-grain rolls. I really wanted to make these but ran out of time, and instead, served it with white rice (served at the bottom of the bowl). Because I know what I like when it comes to this soup, I made a handful of modifications; below is my concoction and it’s now my favorite preparation!
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced in half-moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon thai spice (ask for a container of extra spice the next time you get take-out thai)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 6-8-inch stalk lemongrass
- 8 oz. extra firm tofu, cubed
- 3 cups water
- 14 ounces organic canned coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 8-10 crimini mushrooms, halved
- 3 firm roma tomatoes, cut in eights
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
- 1 large baby bok choy, thinly sliced (we plucked ours from the garden!)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and salt; sauté until onions are translucent. Add ginger, red pepper, thai spice, coriander, and cumin; cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Bisect lemongrass stalk lengthwise and remove small core at bottom. Chop up 1/2 inch or so of stalk where it is most tender. Chop the remainder of stock into about 2-3″ pieces (large enough to easily remove when eating). Add lemongrass, tofu, water, coconut milk, fish sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Simmer the soup about 20 minutes. Start the rice by boiling two cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and a hearty pinch of sea salt. Add one cup of rice and cover; turn stove down to med.-low heat. After 20 minutes are up, add bok choy, green onion and cilantro to soup; simmer another 5 minutes. Slightly tilt rice lid and remove from heat and allow to rest. Fluff; spoon rice into bottom of bowl and ladle soup over top. Garnish with cilantro. Serves four, generously; I calculate that it cost $8.18 to make the pot. Because take-out only serves two and costs about $10, $12 if you include tip, we saved $15.72. Not too shabby! Now on to this evenings dessert:
STRAWBERRY FREAKING RHUBARB PIE (and Haagen Daaz vanilla bean ice cream)!!! Now I’m not eating dessert every night like I have been doing for the past year or so (and by dessert, I mean giant sized brownies with a tub of ice cream), but tonight my husband surprised me with a pre-birthday present: a strawberry rhubarb pie baked by my friend Laura. I talked about Laura’s pies recently (another friend happened to order one and shared…lucky us!) and honestly, I have never eaten better pie in my life. I do not say this lightly as I have had some killer pie. Let me know if you want to order one and I’ll pass her info along.
Lastly, I was so taken with the kind words and encouragement given me both publicly and privately from my last post. It truly means a lot. I’m happy to report, (ahem, pie not included), that I’ve really been more conscious about the types of food, as well as the amount, that I put into my body. I haven’t been perfect, but I do feel different already, as if I have a bit more energy than the day before. I’m so excited to continue seeing the positive changes that come from this, as I know that you truly are what you eat! Have a fab weekend folks!
My first (and only experience) with banana ice cream was when I was four years old. It may very well be my first memory. Proof I’ve always been a fattie, foodie at heart. I remember the slices of banana on the cookie sheet, the frosty, icy air of the freezer door cracking opening, and the whir of my mother’s Cusinart. I remember being immensely inpatient. But I had to keep waiting. I can still remember sitting in the dark, past my bedtime, in the backseat of my parent’s white maverick. We were at the drive-in, my first (and only?) experience, watching Return to Oz when my mother finally lifted the lid of the ice chest and dished us each a bowl. It seemed so incredibly special. I remember carefully dipping a spoon into the chilly treat, tasting the sweetness, savoring each and every delicious bite. When my spoon scraped the bowl, I wanted more. It was 1985.
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