Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken and Coconut Soup

This guest recipe is by Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo, author of 5 national best selling books and co-owner of Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness.

The following recipe is from Sarah’s latest book Everyday Paleo Thai Cuisine. Sarah and her family spent several weeks in Thailand cooking with numerous chefs and home cooks throughout the country in order to learn the true art of authentic Thai cuisine and culture.

In Everyday Paleo Thai Cuisine, Sarah shares with you over 80 authentic recipes, straight from the source, all made gluten free and paleo. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Coconut Soup

Tom Ka Gai

This is Thai comfort food at its finest. I love—adore, actually—this simple, delicious, sweet and tangy soup. There is something truly magical about the sweetness of coconut milk, the tartness of kaffir lime leaves, and the light, delightful flavor of lemongrass, and this soup harnesses all of these amazing ingredients to yield a burst of flavor in every spoonful. Feel free to adjust the seasoning as you desire and feel free to add a little more lime juice and/or maple syrup to suite your palate.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 7 to 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces (bend the stalk in several places prior to cutting to release the flavor)
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced galangal
• 3 straw or white mushrooms, quartered
• 3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves, stemmed and torn in half
• 1/2 chicken breast, chopped
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• Sea salt
• 
1/4 white onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
• Chile oil, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• In a wok or soup pot, bring the coconut milk and chicken broth to a boil.
• Add the lemongrass, galangal, mushrooms, kaffir lime leaves, and chicken and stir well.
• To the simmering soup, add the maple syrup and salt to taste, stir, and add the onion and tomato.
• Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Garnish with the cilantro and chile oil if desired and serve.