Thai Chicken Soup for the Soul

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."--Mahatma Gandhi

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads."--Albert Camus

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life-learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."--Robert Fulghum

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."--Carl Gustav Jung

"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it."--George Santayana

and finally

 

"I live on good soup, not on fine words."--Moliere

 

 

 

 

Thai Chicken Soup 

 "Thai food ain't about simplicity. It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it's a jumble of flavours, but to a Thai that's important, it's the complexity they delight in."--David Thompson, Thai food expert

adapted from Thai Chicken Soup

 

To create a balanced, harmonious soup, you will need:

 

3-4 Chicken Breasts, bone in

2- 32oz Boxes of Chicken Broth

2 or 3 pieces of lemongrass stalk (about 5-6" each)

3 or 4 Kaffir Lime Leaves

1 or 2 Dried Red Chilis

 

1 Large tsp Freshly Grated Ginger

1 Cup Mushroom, sliced

2-3  Fresh Hot Cherry Peppers, sliced (remove seeds and use less for less heat)

1 Can Coconut Milk

 

2 Tbsp Fish Sauce

2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

 

A Handful of Cilantro, chopped

A handful of Basil, chopped

Wheat or Rice Noodles (I used Lo Mein Wheat)

 Place chicken in a large stockpot with the chicken broth.

Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and dried chilis.

Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove Chicken from broth and debone.

Discard bones or save for a future stock and return the meat to the soup.

Add mushrooms, fresh peppers and coconut milk.

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Taste and adjust as needed.

Your soup should be a harmonious balance between salty, spicy, sweet and sour.

Turn off heat and add cilantro and basil at the very end.

Prepare noodles separately according to package.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”--Buddha

 

Live well, my friends

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