Thai Dumpling Soup

This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, from their quick and easy dinner section. Seeing as the weather has finally started to get very chilly, and I've been itching to cook thai food, it seemed the perfect opportunity to try this recipe. What I found out is that not only is this soup easier and faster to make than Tom Ka Gai, one of the simplest thai soups, but it is even more delicious. I've never made dumpling soup, and what I realized is unlike in a restaurant, I don't have to ration the 2 or 3 dumplings your soup will have, because when you make it yourself, you can have as many dumplings as you'd like! So do yourself a favor and try this one out in the next couple weeks. You will not regret it.

What's in it

2 Tbl oil

3 stalks celery, sliced thin

1/2 onion, sliced in 1/4" wedges

dried (or fresh) shittake mushrooms

1 Tbl curry powder

4 C chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

1 C water

1 Tbl fish sauce

1/4 lb fresh green beans trimmed and cut in half

optional: sliced crimini mushrooms, sliced bell peppers

1 lb frozen thai dumplings (I found delicious frozen chicken cilantro mini dumplings at Trader Joes)

lime and sliced green onions

How it's made

Boil 2 cups water and pour over dried shittake mushrooms in a bowl, if using. Use another bowl or cup to weigh them down under water. Let sit 30 minutes until re-hydrated. Prep other ingredients in the meantime.

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add celery, onion, shittake mushrooms and curry powder. Stir until curry powder is toasted and vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce and water (use water from re-hydrating mushrooms if you'd like more mushroom flavor, but be sure to strain out bits). Bring to a simmer and add crimini mushrooms if using. Add green beans (and bell pepper if using) and simmer about 3-5 minutes until green beans are crisp tender. Add frozen dumplings and bring back to simmer until dumplings are cooked through. Serve garnished with lime juice and chopped green onions.

I highly encourage you to adapt this recipe to your taste. Clearly I like mushrooms so I load up on them, but maybe you'd like to see tomatoes or galanga and lemongrass for a more authentic flavor, or more green beans. The great thing about soups is they are very flexible to adaptation, so have fun with it!

Tom Kah Gai: Chicken Coconut Soup

I've always been a fan of Thai food, but Thai cooking somehow seemed rather mysterious. Then Amber told me about a wonderful cookbook called Quick & Easy Thai. (Now, I've seen some "easy" Indian food cookbooks that don't seem to have a quick recipe in them, so I was a little hesitant.) But, the author--previously a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand--wrote these recipes for busy people to cook on a weeknight.

As it turns out, many Thai recipes are not difficult to prepare and can be made any time, not just on fancy special occasions. The recipes I've tried are pretty amazingly simple, but still incredibly delicious. Some of the recipes call for exotic ingredients (that is, if you live in Oregon and not California), but most of the time you can substitute or skip an ingredient and your dish will be fine.

This is an impressively flavorful soup! It pairs well with other recipes in the book, like chicken satay or crab cakes.

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
• 6 wild lime leaves, cut into quarters (optional)
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (a light version is available at Trader Joe's)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)
• 10-12 slices galanga (this is a relative of ginger--I substitute fresh ginger slices)
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass (available at Whole Foods and Safeway--do not leave this out!)
• 3/4 pound boneless chicken cut into bite-sized chunks (or tofu!)
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

1. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce and green onions (plus half of the wild lime leaves--optional). Set aside. Put chopped cilantro in a separate small bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, add the coconut milk and the chicken broth. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the galanga or ginger and lemongrass (plus remainder of lime leaves, if using.)
   
3. Add the chicken and mushrooms. Return to a gentle boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked--about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Pour the lime juice mixture into the pot and mix well! Ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
   

*Serves 4*

I substituted the chicken for tofu only because I was also serving another chicken dish, but if you use vegetable stock, tofu and leave the fish sauce out this would be vegan. The fish sauce does add a distinct depth to the soup, though, as it does to a lot of Thai dishes. If you have vegetarian friends who eat fish, leave it in for best results.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert.  This tasty treat is good at any time of day, just like all good Thai food.  The newest iteration of Yum Sunday* happened last Sunday when I made this and Thai Iced Tea, and brunched at Lauren and Mary Ann's house.  

This treat is really easy to make, although it has a few steps, so if you have any questions, let me know!  I actually think mango sticky rice may be the avenue for world peace.

What's in it

1 1/2 C long grain sticky rice (I have a bag from Koda Farms, and it's called Premium Sweet Rice)

2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I use one can)

1 C sugar

2 tsp salt

ripe mangoes or other fruit (berries and bananas work really well)

sesame seeds

How it's done

Soak the rice in water overnight.

Drain the soaked rice, and place in a steamer basket.  You can use a traditional bamboo steamer inside a pot, or place cheesecloth over your own steamer basket to keep the rice from falling through.  Steam the rice 30-45 minutes, until the rice is plump and glistens, and pinches into chewy lumps.

While the rice is steaming, combine the coconut milk, sugar and salt in a medium pot and cook over medium heat.  Cook, stirring gently, for about five minutes until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside.

When rice is ready, place in a large bowl, and pour the coconut mixture on top, stirring gently to mix.  Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.  I did this the night before and re-heated in the microwave.

Slice the mango and/or the other fruit.  

Serve the sticky rice on small dessert plates with sliced fruit on top, and sprinkled sesame seeds (or dried mung beans if you have any).  The rice tastes best when served warm.

*Yum Sunday was originally known as Waffle Sunday, which happened every Sunday at Alexis' house in Forest Ranch.  Alexis' mom, Patty, would make homemade Belgian waffles, and serve them up with a minimum of five of your favorite toppings.  When Alexis and I lived together in college, we had a revival of Waffle Sunday, although then it would happen at any time or day of the week.  After Andy and I dated a couple years, he finally introduce me to Thai Temple here in Berkeley, which is a temple that serves Thai food for breakfast every Sunday.  This is where I discovered Mango Sticky Rice.  After ritually going to Thai Temple months in a row, it became known as Yum Sunday (Yum!, for short).  I would have to say each of these iterations of breakfast were life changing.  Each of these iterations brought together friends and family, taking time out of the busy pace of life.  I highly encourage you to start your own Yum Sunday tradition.