There is so much to like about Thai flavors. This soup leverages them all. It’s an easy brothy soup that is two parts, the marinade for the chicken, and then the broth. I marinaded the chicken in bite size pieces, although the recipe does not call for that. You use boneless skinless thighs that you lay on a bed of jasmine rice when you serve. This is a broth heavy soup where the broth does most of the work. It’s so delicious and so moreish and so easy. Definitely one of the contenders for “The best version chicken soup”. It’s pretty easy to make, you just need the right ingredients. The other thing about Thai food is that its HOT and makes your hair sweat! You can ramp up the heat with that Thai chili sauce and add an extra serrano pepper or two. But the sweetness and tanginess of the coconut broth with lemongrass and a touch of lemon juice to finish it is so moreish. I used a little fish sauce and a touch of rice wine vinegar to ramp up the umami. After you marinade the chicken, you sear it in a pan, make sure the sauce caramelizes, then set it aside for serving.

For the chicken marinade:

• Boneless chicken thighs
• Crushed pepper
• Grated garlic
• Grated ginger
• Grated lemon grass roots
• Chilli oil
• Soy sauce
• Red chilli sauce
• Lemon juice
• Honey
• Oyster sauce
• Red chilli flakes
• Olive oil

For the broth

• Olive oil
• Onion petals
• Thinly sliced ginger,
• Green chillies
• Spring onion whites
• Kafir lime leaves
• Lemon grass roots, crushed
• Lemon grass greens, roughly chopped
• Water
• Coconut milk
• Salt
• Lemon juice

To serve:

• Jasmine rice
• Spring onion greens

You put a pile of rice in the bowl, top it with the chicken, if you do not marinade in bite size pieces, then cut into bite size pieces. Top with the broth and the green onions, add chili sauce and a little lime juice, sit back and enjoy!

I find Indian cooking is so interesting. The use of bold spices and flavors, and how the cooking methods bring those flavors together is what gives the food it’s lingering heat and moreish quality. I love it. One of the things about Indian food is that it can be quite time consuming, so, I sometimes use a shortcut to get the meal prepared. Tiki Masala is one of those that offers a good shortcut. Local grocery stores have various Indian simmer sauces and pastes that offer a quick flavor boost. My Indian friends frown on this strategy, but, I promise, it works.

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• a full garlic
• 3″ ginger
• 4 chicken thighs
• Spices including
  • Garum masala
  • Chili powder
  • Paprika
• Greek yogurt
• Lemons
• Potato
• Carrot
• Peppers
  • Sorrano
  • Jalapeno
  • Habanero
• Tiki Masala Simmer Sauce/Tiki Masala paste

Method

Skin and chop up the chicken (about 2″ pieces”). I use the cleaver to get through the bones.

Then in squeeze a lemon and drop about a cup of greek yogurt into a bowl to which I add a heaped table spoon of garum masala, paprika and chili powder. I put the chicken in and mix it till its properly covered, adding more lemon juice if needed to make the marinade a paste. That goes into the fridge while I work on the next steps. You could even do this the day before.

I slice the onions with a mandoline, then saute them with olive oil making sure they don’t turn too dark, or it will be too bitter. While they are cooking, I skin the ginger and the garlic and drop it into a food processor with up to a cup of chicken broth to get a real paste texture. Once the onions are ready, and cool enough to handle, they go into the food processor as well. When the onion, garlic, ginger paste is smooth, I add some oil to a Dutch oven, and when its good and hot I drop the paste into the pot. While that is cooking I chop the peppers, the sorrano into rounds. I deseed the jalapeno and habanero, and drop them in too. When they are all softened and the paste has stopped sizzling, in goes the reserved stock from the turkey soup and the tiki masala paste and simmer sauce. I add any chicken stock needed to make it liquid, bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a medium simmer and leave it partially covered while I attend to the next steps.

I chop and par boil the potato, then drop it in along with the chopped carrot.

I spread the chicken out on a wire tray and put it into the oven under the broiler for 7 minutes a

Then I drop the roasted chicken into the pot, again, bring it to a boil then put the pot into the oven, covered, at 225 for several hours.

I love to eat curry with all the fixings, and Basmati rice. A note on the rice. Get the best quality rice you can find. It really makes a difference to have a high quality long grained basmati rice with Indian food.

• Sliced banana
• Shredded coconut
• Roasted peanuts
• Chopped tomato
• Raisins
• Chutney
• Greek yogurt
• Garlic Naan

This curry was spectacular. It had a lingering heat that just kept coming, but the savory nature of the meal was such that you just wanted to go back for another bite, and you definitely mop the plate with the Garlic Naan! What I love about curries is that they all have their own flavor and textures and they all come together in their own unique way! Plus, are there any better left overs?

Next up for us, one of our favorite meals. Steak and Chips!