Thai Coconut Soup With Sugarcane Chicken Dumplings

By á-174942

Ingredients

• SOUP BASE:
• 2 1/2 cups lobster stock
• 1 tablespoon chili paste
• 1 lemon grass stalk cut into 2" sticks
• 10 fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 fresh small Thai chile
• SUGARCANE CHICKEN DUMPLINGS:
• 4 ounces ground lean chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon mushroom soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons potato starch
• 1 pinch freshly-ground black pepper
• 8 sugarcane sticks - (4" ea)
• THAI COCONUT SOUP:
• 2 cups Soup Base (see above)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 6 Kaffir lime leaves
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• Lime juice to taste
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar or to taste
• Sugarcane Chicken Dumplings (see above)
• GARNISH:
• 1 ounce glass noodles soaked in water
• until softened
• 1/4 cup julienned carrots
• 1/4 cup julienned leeks
• 4 Thai chiles stems removed, split in half lengthwise, seeded
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves cut thin chiffonade

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Make the soup base. In a saucepan, combine the lobster stock, chili paste, lemon grass, Thai basil leaves and small Thai chile and bring to a boil. Reduce until only 2 cups remain. Set aside.

Make the dumplings. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, potato starch and black pepper. Mix until well blended. Divide into 8 portions. Wrap each portion around the end of each sugarcane stick. Reserve.

Make the soup. To the soup base, add the coconut milk and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar. Add the dumplings and simmer until done, about 3 minutes.

Divide the softened glass noodles on four soup bowls. Place two dumplings crisscross on top of the noodles, leaning to the side of the bowl. Divide the soup onto the four bowls. Garnish each bowl with julienne of carrots, leeks, Thai chiles and lime leaf. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Wine Recommendation: Don't be frightened of experimenting with wines to accompany a strong Asian-flavored dish like this. Try a good Californian Chardonnay to start with. Or, if you're feeling brave, try cooling a young red like a Syrah or one of Niebaum-Coppola's light and fruity Italian varietals. Of course, you can always do what the Thais do -- take the cap off a cold bottle of Singha beer!