All Thai-ed up

Upon learning that I would soon be moving to the Midwest, I was a bit concerned about the food situation. I am from the east coast originally, and have always had easy access to delicious and authentic ethnic food. I really dig ethnic food. Spicy, exotic, scintillating. Moving south I encountered Mexican and BBQ that made my shoulders scrunch up and had me grinning from ear to ear. I still miss that great BBQ place that set up shop in an old Taco Bell.

While acknowledging the fact that I did not have the faintest idea about Midwestern food culture, I was still a bit wary to head to the land of beef and corn. If only I had known about the vast refugee resettlement that has been going on here for some time. The dynamic Vietnamese and Sudanese populations here have endowed my city with numerous restaurants and markets. Heck, we've even got an Iraqi restaurant -- take that Buffalo!

In a couple of areas, the selection does suffer. I miss Indian. I miss Chinese (the real stuff like at Ming Cafe in Buffalo). I miss Thai. But don't worry about me, I won't take this lying down. I will rise to the challenge. I will learn to cook these cuisines for myself! This quest for knowledge began around the time of a rather serendipitous visit of my friend's mother, a native Thai. She was gracious enough to give me a hands-on demo in my own home. In one night, we worked through a few dishes.

First, we prepared Tom yum, a refreshing chicken soup made with lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves. This soup, or its sister Tom ka, are always the first course for me at a Thai restaurant. I was concerned that recreating the depth of flavor would be impossible in my kitchen (they have magical beings in the back of all Thai restaurants, you know).  I am happy to report that it WAS possible! I highly recommend this soup when you are a bit stuffed up, or feeling sick; the aromatics will get you back on your feet in no time. It is just dandy on a Tuesday night too. Or a Wednesday. Maybe Friday would work.

First, take most of the meat off of two bone-in chicken breasts. Don't be too concerned with getting them entirely clean, the extra stuff will add flavor. Put the bones in a medium saucepan with 4-5 Kaffir lime leaves, 1 stalk of lemongrass chopped into 1- 2 inch pieces, and if you can find it, 1 or 2 coin sized slices of galangal (click on the link for an explanation). Cover with water and boil for about 20 minutes. Cut up the breast meat into thin strips/slices and add to the pot, cook through.

In the interest of full disclosure, Mom told me that "ka" means galangal. The main difference between Tom yum and Tom ka is the addition of coconut milk and galangal (ka) to the latter. She likes it though, and threw it in to our Tom yum anyway.
Chop: 1/2 medium onion, 2 large scallions (greens and all), and a small handful of cilantro. Add to broth with 4-5 Tbsp of fish sauce. (I was told that the Tiparos brand is the one to use.) Squeeze in the juice of a lemon, tasting until the right salty/sour balance is reached (this is according to your taste of course!).

And then...... remove the bones and eat! Tom yum indeed. Enjoy!