Thai sour-and-spicy chicken soup with tamarind leaves

One of the new ingredients that I am super excited about is tender tamarind leaves. I was able to find another Thai recipe in my cookbook library. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to make it before this short season is over.

The other recipe with tender tamarind leaves on this blog is, Hyderabadi lamb with tender tamarind leaves (Chingur gosht) A super simple soup to make with just a few ingredients. I loved how delicate the soup turned out. The tender tamarind leaves look wonderful floating in the soup, but also add a gentle tartness that compliments the Thai herbs, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. The soup concludes with a hint of spice, in true Thai fashion. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. To make this soup a meal, add some cooked rice to the soup.

I have started going to this massive volume on Thai cooking more frequently. It is packed full of recipes from the land and culture that take pride in its cuisine. This book definitely steps out of the ordinary, a must for any cook who wants everything Thai in their kitchen and on their table. Occasionally, in this book, I come across a recipe where an ingredient is hard to find, but with over 500 recipes, there is much more to cook.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

6 cups water or ready chicken stock

Salt to taste

5 slices of galangal, fresh preferred

2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1-inch slices

3 shallots, sliced

1 lb chicken, legs or thighs, with bone

A few drops of fish sauce

2-3 kaffir lime leaves, halved

2 cups young tamarind leaves

2-4 Thai chillies, sliced in half along their length

2 tomatoes, cut into medium dice

A few drops of fish sauce

For the chilli sauce:

1/4 cup red Thai bird’s eye chillies, roughly sliced

4-5 garlic cloves, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

To make the chilli sauce:

Add the garlic, chillies, and salt and pound into a coarse paste. You may have to do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of your mortar. You want it to be uneven and rough. I prefer to pound it in a mortar rather than to purée it in a blender. In a blender, the paste becomes smooth and loses its original effect. The paste will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days.

To make the soup:

Heat the water/stock, salt, galangal, lemongrass, shallots, and chicken to a gentle simmer. Cook covered gently for 5 minutes, scoop out any scum that rises to the top. Continue simmering gently for an additional 30 minutes or till the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken and cool. Remove the flesh from the bones and shred the meat with your fingers into small pieces. Return the meat to the soup and discard the bones.

Add the lime leaves, tamarind leaves and chillies and bring back to a simmer. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spices. Take off the heat and add the tomatoes and fish sauce, and mix well.

Serve in bowls with the chilli sauce on the side.