Thai-Style Chicken Soup

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa for this homespun
health advice:

How to Avoid the Flu

Eat right! Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies.
Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C. Get plenty of exercise
because exercise helps build your immune system. Walk for at least
hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator,
etc. Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them, keep a bottle of
antibacterial stuff around. Get lots of fresh air. Open windows
whenever possible. Get plenty of rest. Try to eliminate as much
stress from your life as you can.

OR

You can take the doctor's office approach. Think about it. When you
go for a shot, what do they do first? Clean your arm with alcohol.
Why? Because alcohol kills germs. So I walk to the liquor store
(exercise), I put lime in my Corona (fruit), celery in my Bloody Mary
(veggies), drink on the bar patio (fresh air), get drunk, tell jokes,
and laugh (eliminate stress) and then pass out (rest). The way I see
it, if you keep your alcohol levels up flu germs can't get you!

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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In Thailand they like their food fiery hot, so adjust the amount of
red chiles in this recipe to suit your taste.

Thai-Style Chicken Soup

1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil
1-2 fresh red chiles, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large leek, white part only, thinly sliced
2-3 cups (500-750 ml) chicken stock
1 can (13.5 oz, 400 ml) coconut milk
1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts,
cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbs (30 ml) fish sauce*
1 lemongrass stalk, crushed*
1-inch (3 cm) piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
4 kaffir lime leaves* or 1-inch (3 cm) piece of lime rind
1 cup (250 ml) frozen green (English) peas
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish

* Available in finer supermarkets and Asian specialty shops.

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat and saute the chiles
and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the leek and cook 2 minutes more.
Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the
chicken, fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger, sugar, and kaffir leaves and
simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked
through, about 15 minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook for 5
minutes. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Feb 22 09:37:34 2005