Chicken, lime and lemongrass soup
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
This fragrant chicken soup is the perfect balance of salty, hot and sour.
Ingredients
- 2 litres/3½ pints fresh chicken stock
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised plus 1 tbsp finely chopped
- 4 slices galangal, each about the thickness of a £1 coin
- 9 Thai shallots, 3 peeled and left whole, 6 thinly sliced
- 2 chicken breasts
- 6 tbsp lime juice
- 3–4 tbsp fish sauce
- pinch finely chopped bird's-eye chillies
- 1 tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped
- 1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish
Method
Put the stock in a large, lidded saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half.
Reduce to a simmer and add the lemongrass stalks, galangal and whole shallots and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken breasts, cover with a lid and gently simmer for 10–12 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn off the heat and remove the chicken, shred and set aside.
Strain the liquid, retaining the stock and discarding the aromatics.
Divide the chicken between 2 bowls and add 3 tablespoons lime juice and 1–2 tablespoons fish sauce to each. Add the sliced shallots, chillies and finely chopped lemongrass and leave to stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Reheat the stock to boiling and divide between the 2 bowls. Garnish with the coriander and serve.
