By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorganmichael@yahoo.com
THAI TURKEY SOUP
Here is another easy recipe to use up that little bit of Turkey left in your frig. It is a festive twist on the popular Thai Chicken soup (Tom Kha Gai ). Its balance of sweet, sour, salty and spice results in a dish that is delicious, light and packed full of flavors. Adding noodles and a bit more turkey meat this recipe can easily serve as a main course……Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 pieces of lemon grass bottom part only bruised
2 piece of galangal sliced and bruised
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
8 kaffir lime leaves torn
1 Thai red chili chopped or split and left whole
150gm shiitake mushrooms, caps sliced, remove and discard stems
3tbsp chopped coriander stemmed washed well
6 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce (or more, to taste)
2 tbsp palm sugar
3 tbsp lime juice + zest of 2 limes
3 cups cooked turkey, shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Optional Garnishes
Vermicelli rice noodles, bean sprouts, sliced green onions, thai basil, lime cheeks
Method
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lemon grass, galangal, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, chili pepper and coriander roots. Sweat them for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to release flavours. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the broth is very flavourful.
2. Using a fine-mesh sieve, remove the seasonings while making sure to conserve the broth. Pour the broth back into the saucepan. Add the sliced shiitakes and coconut milk, then let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice. Add the mixture to the soup. Then, add the cooked turkey. Re-heat and taste to adjust seasoning.
4. Serve the soup garnished with fresh coriander, Thai basil, lime zest and lime cheeks. If desired, add bean sprouts, some rice vermicelli noodles, green onions and Thai basil.
