Tom Kha Gai Recipe (because I can't resist sharing it)

Tom Kha Gai

So often I order this soup at Thai restaurants and I'm disappointed.  Here in America, Thai restaurants make it so sweet!  This recipe is savory and it's my favorite.

4 small chicken thighs
2 cans coconut milk
4 cups chicken broth

1 chunk of ginger root, peeled (about the size of a fat thumb)
3 T minced lemongrass paste
-----(more would be good, 3 fresh stalks, chopped would be even better)

1 can baby corn, drained
1 large white onion

2 tomatoes (I like Roma)

100 grams of oyster mushrooms or more

5-10 Thai chilies (I use 5)
5 T fish sauce
Small bunch of cilantro, chopped 

Juice of three limes

1.  Peel and thinly slice ginger (I keep mine frozen because it peels easily with water and seems easier to slice from frozen)
2.  If using lemongrass stalks, remove outer blades of grass until you get to the tender white part in the middle.  Chop this into 1 inch pieces using diagonal cuts.
3.  Pour coconut milk and chicken broth into a saucepan.  Add the ginger, the lemongrass, and the baby corn to the saucepan and gently stir.  Always stir this soup gently and in the same direction because coconut milk will curdle if it is heated too quickly or agitated too much.  Place saucepan on stove and turn the heat to medium.
4.  As your coconut milk mixture begins to heat, slice up the chicken into medium sized chunks.
5.  Add the chicken to the saucepan when it looks like it's about to boil. Now turn the heat down to keep the soup from boiling.
6.  Remove the stems from the chilies and slice the peppers diagonally.  Add these to the soup.

7.  Give the soup a gentle stir and add your minimally chopped mushrooms.

8.  Peel the onion and chop it into thick wedges.  Add to the soup.
9.  Cut your tomatoes into large chunks and put them in the soup.
10.  Add the fish sauce and continue cooking on low heat, keeping the soup just under a boil.  Stir gently and only occasionally.
11.  After 5-10 minutes of cooking, make sure your chicken in thoroughly cooked and turn off the heat completely.
12.  Add your cilantro and as much of the lime juice as you prefer.  I like all of it added.

13.  Serve as a soup.  Rice is a welcome addition.  If desired, spoon some rice into your bowl and pour the soup over top of it. 

Note: Lemongrass, lime juice, and fish sauce are the major contributors to the taste of this soup. Adjust your quantities of these items according to your preference.
Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots could be good additions as well.