Lea's Tom Ka Kai Soup

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons shrimp soup paste (add more for more spice, however the mixture becomes saltier) or 3 tablespoons tom yum paste (add more for more spice, however the mixture becomes saltier)
• 4 sprigs lemon grass root (two inch sprigs)
• 1/4 lime peel, ground finely
• 1 lime, juice of
• 4 cloves garlic (or more depending on your preference)
• 1 small red chile (add more for more spice)
• 1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lb chopped boneless skinless chicken, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream (add more if you like it creamier!)

Recipe

• 1 in medium to large saucepan, bring to boil all ingredients except garlic, red chili, ginger root, cilantro, chicken, and half and half cream.
• 2 meanwhile, chop the remaining ingredients (except chicken and half and half cream) finely in chopping machine, then add this to the pot.
• 3 chop and boil the chicken pieces in the soup for around 5 minutes or until fully cooked.
• 4 add the half-and-half cream to the soup and stir constantly to avoid curdling for around three minutes.
• 5 remove lemon grass root upon serving, or tell victims to remove before eating the soup!
• 6 serve soup warm or hot.
• 7 note: fish sauce, oyster sauce, tom yum paste may be purchased at a thai or chinese market. also, sometimes your local store will carry these items.