Sick Day: Tom Kha Soup

You know those days when you can just feel a cold coming on? When you're not technically sick yet, with just the early warnings of a sore throat or cough? I had one of those days this week and was all set to spend the rest of the week feeling sorry for myself while bemoaning my sickly existence and the unfairness of life. However, then something magical happened: I remembered how delicious and easy this soup is! With its vibrant mix of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors, this soup is my go to for stopping a cold in its tracks. I'll definitely be keeping it in mind as we head into the wet and miserable days of winter here in London... 

Strangely, the only times I've ever had tom kha soup in a restaurant were when I was living in Chennai, India. One of the nicer hotels has a little restaurant which offers a thai/vietnamese buffet where you can create your own version of different soup options. They have several soup bases available (such as tom ka or tom yum) and then a variety of toppings and add-ons, such as mushrooms, chicken, tofu, etc. Suffice to say, I was hooked. Since coming home, I've expiramented with trying to make it myself at home and this seems to be the easiest method. I love how customizable this dish can be since it's entirely up to you how spicy you make it or even what ingredients to include. I went with portobello mushrooms since that's what I had on hand but you could also add in some chicken or noodles if you're in the mood for a spicy twist on that old standby: chicken noodle soup. One thing to note: the coconut milk will continue to thicken the soup as it cooks so you may need to add a bit of water at the end to loosen it up before serving but that is entirely up to your personal preference.

Prep Time: 3 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

900ml chicken stock (or water with chicken bouillon)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 pieces of fresh lemongrass, smashed and chopped into large pieces
2-3 red chilies
Fish sauce (to taste)
Zest of a lime
2 portobello mushrooms, chopped (or a handful of smaller mushrooms)
Juice of 1-2 limes (to taste)
Fresh coriander

Method:

Bring the chicken stock and coconut milk to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add in the ginger, garlic, half of the sliced red onion, lemongrass and chilies.

Lower to a simmer and leave to heat through for tenminutes, or until the soup has your preferred level of flavor. Add fish sauce to taste and the lime zest.

Strain the soup through a sieve and return to the pot. Make sure to press the ingredients into the sieve to make sure as much flavor is incorporated into the soup. Bring the strained soup back to a simmer and add the mushrooms and the remaining onion slices. Continue to cook until the mushrooms and onion slices are tender.

To serve, add the fresh coriander and lime juice to taste. Enjoy!