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A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: March 10. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Dana Schmitz, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, special contributor, photography and layout.
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Recipe of the Month -- Thai-Style Soup
By Nick Young
Special Contributor
Ingredients
2 cans of broth (vegetable or chicken)
1 can coconut milk
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch long piece fresh root ginger
1 stick of lemon grass (10-12 inch)
1/2 pint fresh field or shiitake mushrooms, or 1 can straw mushrooms
1-2 tbsp. chili paste (Sambal Oelek)
1/2 a red onion or a bunch of green onions (scallions)
1 large lime, both juice and peel
Optional
2 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
4-5 small red Thai chilies
1 medium to large chicken breast, thinly sliced
This is a recipe that will impress your guests, but is surprisingly easy to make. This is a very tasty soup based on traditional Thai soups such as Tom Yum Gai. Please be aware that this is my interpretation and is not a traditional Thai recipe.
Preparation
If using chicken, thinly slice the breast into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Take the lemon grass and, discarding the tough outer pieces, chop finely; then crush with the backside of your knife or with pestle and mortar.
Peel and grate the ginger and finely chop the garlic.
Using a regular vegetable peeler, peel 3-4 large strips of peel from the lime before juicing. Thinly julienne (slice) the peel with a sharp knife.
Wash the mushrooms; the field mushrooms should be cut into quarters depending on their size, the shiitakes thinly sliced. If you use straw mushrooms from the can, add them at the last minute to avoid overcooking.
Slice the red onion as thinly as possible, if you use scallions cut them thinly and add them with the garnish.
For the garnish, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and pick the cilantro leaves from the stalks. Set these items aside to be added just before serving.
Cooking
Place the broth, lemongrass, ginger, chili paste and garlic in a pot and bring to a simmer on the stove. Allow these ingredients to infuse for about 5-10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, lime juice, red chilies, thinly sliced lime peel and the mushrooms. If using chicken, also add it at this point. Be sure to keep the soup at a simmer, and not a rolling boil.
As soon as your mushrooms and/or chicken are cooked (about 3-4 minutes) your soup is ready.
Transfer to a soup tureen; add the garnish 1/2 bunch of cilantro and 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, ladle and serve.
Notes
This soup can be made as a vegetarian dish quite easily by, obviously, leaving out the chicken and substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. The Thai fish sauce is optional but definitely advised, used sparingly it adds a subtle extra flavor; however if you wish to make the dish vegan, feel free to omit it and/or substitute soy sauce. The small red Thai chilies are usually quite hot so may be omitted as the chili paste allows more control, however they do add extra color for presentation. Removing the seeds can help reduce the heat. Lemon grass can sometimes be quite tough, so be sure to use it fresh. The amount used may be increased if you have to discard a large portion due to toughness. Lemongrass, sambal oelek, coconut milk and other such ingredients can often be found at mainstream supermarkets; however, if you have trouble finding them, check your local Asian market.
Serves 4-6.
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