Thai coconut chicken soup

[CMV]

I just made this soup tonight and it is so good. I loved it! Thanks for the recipe. I don't care for mushrooms, so I substituted some shredded bok choy for the mushrooms and otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. So good.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Finally, looked at the jar of lemon grass - they are in water with some citric acid. Went to Asian market this weekend and got 6 stalks of fresh lemon grass for a $1. The owner was really helpful and told me about these special lemon leaves to use in the soup as well. Also, the galangal instead of ginger. Going to make this soup again but with shrimp this time.

Oh one last thing - bought some fresh "Beech" mushrooms - never seen them before but are like a straw mushrrom so going to use them and see how they are.

Sandee

 

[wombat]

Quote:
Finally, looked at the jar of lemon grass - they are in water with some citric acid. Went to Asian market this weekend and got 6 stalks of fresh lemon grass for a $1. The owner was really helpful and told me about these special lemon leaves to use in the soup as well. Also, the galangal instead of ginger. Going to make this soup again but with shrimp this time.

Oh one last thing - bought some fresh "Beech" mushrooms - never seen them before but are like a straw mushrrom so going to use them and see how they are.

Sandee

I hadn't thought of citric acid. I suppose that works the same as vinegar, lowers the ph, but the taste would be more in line with what you'd want from lemongrass. Not sure how long that would keep once opened, though.

Are you going to try to root a few stalks?

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Finally, looked at the jar of lemon grass - they are in water with some citric acid. Went to Asian market this weekend and got 6 stalks of fresh lemon grass for a $1. The owner was really helpful and told me about these special lemon leaves to use in the soup as well. Also, the galangal instead of ginger. Going to make this soup again but with shrimp this time.

Oh one last thing - bought some fresh "Beech" mushrooms - never seen them before but are like a straw mushrrom so going to use them and see how they are.

Sandee

I hadn't thought of citric acid. I suppose that works the same as vinegar, lowers the ph, but the taste would be more in line with what you'd want from lemongrass. Not sure how long that would keep once opened, though.

Are you going to try to root a few stalks?

They say to refrigerate after opening. I always prefer fresh over canned. Yes, I have the stalks in water and going to see if I can get them to root. Do you know if they like sun or shade? Wondering about keeping them in pot so they don't spread if they are invasive.

Sandee

 

[NancyDz]

I finally made this today... YUM!!! Thanks again for sharing!


Nancy

 

[SED]

I love Surin!! I can't wait to make this! I have been looking for the recipe!

 

[wombat]

Yes, I have the stalks in water and going to see if I can get them to root. Do you know if they like sun or shade? Wondering about keeping them in pot so they don't spread if they are invasive.

Carefully peel the dead leaves off the outside without disturbing the roots before you put them in water. They take about 2-3 weeks to start putting out decent roots. Don't let the jar run out of water, if the roots get dry you'll have to start over.

After you have roots, plant them in a large pot, and put them in sunlight. You plant them deep enough that the base of the plant starts just below the surface.

I have mine in a south window in my sunroom. They like to be kept very damp. They'll only grow outdoors year round in extreme southern climates, they're not at all cold-hardy. They grow in really soggy wet ground in their natural habitat.​

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Carefully peel the dead leaves off the outside without disturbing the roots before you put them in water. They take about 2-3 weeks to start putting out decent roots. Don't let the jar run out of water, if the roots get dry you'll have to start over.

After you have roots, plant them in a large pot, and put them in sunlight. You plant them deep enough that the base of the plant starts just below the surface.

I have mine in a south window in my sunroom. They like to be kept very damp. They'll only grow outdoors year round in extreme southern climates, they're not at all cold-hardy. They grow in really soggy wet ground in their natural habitat.

Thanks for the update, since I made this soup again this week (actually have it for left over lunch today) and noticed that one stalk is starting to sprout

I'll keep them in the kitchen to make sure I keep them watered. So one last question - how do you harvest and if you just cut them do the roots re-sprout?

I love this soup so much - the broth is divine and I find myself just wanting to drink of big cup of it.

Sandee

 

[wombat]

Quote:
Carefully peel the dead leaves off the outside without disturbing the roots before you put them in water. They take about 2-3 weeks to start putting out decent roots. Don't let the jar run out of water, if the roots get dry you'll have to start over.

After you have roots, plant them in a large pot, and put them in sunlight. You plant them deep enough that the base of the plant starts just below the surface.

I have mine in a south window in my sunroom. They like to be kept very damp. They'll only grow outdoors year round in extreme southern climates, they're not at all cold-hardy. They grow in really soggy wet ground in their natural habitat.

Thanks for the update, since I made this soup again this week (actually have it for left over lunch today) and noticed that one stalk is starting to sprout

I'll keep them in the kitchen to make sure I keep them watered. So one last question - how do you harvest and if you just cut them do the roots re-sprout?

I love this soup so much - the broth is divine and I find myself just wanting to drink of big cup of it.

Sandee

Once you get it going, it divides. You can cut it like a grass, or you can simply pull out individual stalks of it as you need them. If it's growing happily, you'll need to thin it down or transplant some, or the pot it is in will be full to bursting. It does take a while to get established, but once it has a good root system, it's like an invasive weed outdoors, though not nearly as bad as mints and such; you can just pick it from the outer edges to control it. It does not spread as fast when potted, but if you use a large "container plant" sort of a pot, it will fill it nicely over time, and you'll have a nice smelling edible house plant.

It does like frequent watering, but it needs drainage, especially when potted.. Think tropical downpour sort of watering, get it really wet, then don't let it actually dry out, but don't leave it soggy. If it gets too dry, it will yellow and get dormant quickly, and can be hard to bring back.

Not sure how it would fare outdoors for you; it would be fine in SoCal (with lots of watering), but if you're further north, you might need to dig some up and bring it inside for the winters if you chose to grow it outdoors. I live in Maryland, no way it can over-winter where I am.

Good luck with it.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

wombat thanks for all the information. We do get frost and cold so will keep it in a pot and keep it under control.

Sandee