Tom Yum Gai

[Shuie]

I've really been craving chicken Tom Yum for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, most of our local Asian restaurants are just not good. I went to every Thai place in town last week and was really, really disappointed with their soup. Since I can't buy it, I need to learn how to make it. Tom Yum Gai is now on that list of things that I need to figure out in order to achieve my goal of never having to leave the house again.

Here is what I tried for my first attempt at home:

Updated recipe:
-------------------
stock...
-bring 4qts water to boil & add 3 Tbsp of Tom Yum paste (Galangal, MSG, tamarind, lemongrass, etc.)
-1 Tbsp kosher salt

ingredients...
-1lb chicken breast, sliced real thin
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-6 Kaffir lime leaves, torn and thrown into pot
-2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised/smashed w/knife and then cut into 1" pieces
-(6-10) fresh little red chilis from the Asian Grocery store, bruised/smashed w/knife, but not cut (sub Sriacha chili garlic sauce)
-1 pckg of button mushrooms, cut in halves
-(1-2) Tbsp fish sauce
-(2-3) Tbsp lime juice (sub lemon juice)
-chopped cilantro, add to serving bowl

I basically got the stock boiling and then chopped and threw everything into the pot in the order it's listed above. I turned off the heat when I added the fish sauce & lime juice. I added the cilantro in the serving bowl. It probably took about 30 minutes total.

It was okay. I didn't expect a great soup on my first 30 minute attempt, I just wanted to get a feel for the ingredients and the process. The overall flavor was there. It was definitely better the next day. The soup was better than what I can get at the local Thai places, but it's not exactly what I want.

It's not clear enough. Should I make my own stock the next time by boiling the chicken in 1 qt of water?

What can I do differently to improve the soup?

TIA

[Chocaholic]

Msg?

[azasadny]

We're having larb and pad thai tomorrow. Want me to ask the restaurant for their recipe?

[azasadny]

Add some fresh cilantro... always helps!

[Outback Porsche]

I cheat a little and use this for my stock, Valcom Tom Yum Paste 210g (per jar) - A$4.50 : Toorak Road Fruit Market, Freshness is always our standard!.

Then I'll add the meat (I usually do Tom Yum Goong), water, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, fish sauce, Mushrooms chopped in quarters, halved birdseye chillies, cherry tomatoes (scored at the top), bok choy and lime juice (just before serving). It's not quite authentic, but it's as close as I'll get it.

You should be able to get tom yum paste from your asian supermarket.

Cheers,

[Shuie]

I did not use any MSG.

I did add some chopped cilantro after I put it in the bowl. I forgot about that in the original post.

There was a Tom Yum paste in the Asian grocery store that I put back because of the MSG on the label. I don't even really know what MSG is, I just thought it was supposed to be really bad for you. Maybe I'll try that next time.

[Outback Porsche]

Originally Posted by azasadny

Add some fresh cilantro... always helps!

Yes, this too, I forgot this? Most important. We call it corriander over here.

[Rapewta]

Plus 10 on the cilantro.
I lived in Thailand and love the food.
When I do the burritos in this house... cilantro goes in the mix.
Why the fast food mexican joints don't use it, a mystery.
Some of my buds love the smell of reefer.. me... cilantro. Good addition to most
meats.

[Chocaholic]

MSG is mono-sodium glutamate. Salt...sort of. Commonly used as a flavor enhancer in many Asian dishes. No worse for you than, well, salt.

[vash]

clear broth?

only way is to make your own. you have to boil the meat parts fast and hard until it releases all that foamy gray mess that floats to the top. then pull the meat, rinse it clean and start over with fresh water. the cloudy broth doesnt bother me, compared to the extra step.

[RWebb]

many people are allergic to the amino acid glutamate - for them MSG is far far worse than salt

[sketchers356]

MSG is kinda like people that are allergic to shrimp, sucks for them but doesnt keep me from eating them.

[TimT]

Use lime juice instead of lemon juice...

Should not need the Rooster sauce, also most tum yum gai or tum ka gia have coconut milk in the stock

You also need Galanga.. its like a cousin to ginger, that's the woody things floating in properly prepared tom yum, Is in the soup for flavor... you don't eat it...You can get Galanga at good asian markets.. usually frozen..... rarely fresh..

Galanga is also called Ka or lao

I dated a Thai woman a few years ago, she and I have moved on however, she has recently opened a very well reviewed Thai restaurant in NYC. In all the meals she made for me and taught me she never ever used lemons.... only limes....

I left my Kaffir Lime tree out to long this year and frost killed it this was the first year it produced fruit

I happen to have stock of Galanga in my freezer

[TimT]

It's not clear enough. Should I make my own stock the next time by boiling the chicken in 1 qt of water?

Asians make quick stocks, they don't boil roasted bones and veggies for hours..Our western style of making stock never has the clarity of an Asian or eastern stock..

[snbush67]

- sear the chicken peices in some sesamee oil and add it to the pot last with the cilantro.
- use straw mushrooms
- nam prik pow chili paste in soya bean oil
Cook any meat separate, I like mine best with sea food (scallops, crab, fish, shrimp, tako etc.)

http://importfood.com/videos/TomYumGoong8.html

[TimT]

I scribbled this recipe down when my then gf made a really simple soup with crab, you can use king crab legs of blue crab...make the stock first, the crab meat goes in at the end...

This is really simple and good..

3 cup coconut milk
5 minced shallots
2 stalk Lemon grass, bruised and cut into 1" pieces
3 Tbsp Nam pla (fish sauce)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tsp tamarind paste
1 Tsp palm sugar
A few torn Kaffir Lime leaves
cilantro to finish.
Thai chilies to taste
King crab or Blue claw crab

Mix the first three ingredients bring to boil...
Add crab if fresh...
If not add the rest of the ingredients and simmer...

add crab

add cilantro, lime leaves, chilies

[Schumi]

I am so thankful I live in Los Angeles and have nearly unlimited access to good, cheap Thai.

[Shuie]

Thanks for the quick response. I guess I'm on the right track. I'll keep playing with the ingredients & stock. The Tom Yum paste that I decided not to use this time had the Galangal and Tamarind in it.

[Shuie]

Take 2...

Used Tom Yum paste (Galangal, MSG, tamarind, lemongrass, etc.) & water for the stock this time. Ditched the Sriacha & swapped lime juice for lemon juice. I kept everything else in the recipe pretty much the same. This is really pretty close to what I was looking for.

Thanks again for the help. I'm going to update the recipe in original post so I don't have to write it down anywhere else

[sketchers356]

Pics?