Categories: Soups/stews, Thai, Poultry 
      Yield: 1 servings 
  
     12 oz Canned coconut milk                      -- (1/16") slices on the 
           -- such as Chaokoh                       -- diagonal 
    1/4 lb Chicken breast                      3 sl Galanga (more if desired) 
           -- cut into small chunks                 --OR substitute fresh ginger 
      1    Lime; juice and grated peel              Hot chile peppers to taste 
      1    4" piece of lemon grass                  -- cut into thin circles 
           -- cut into very thin                    Cilantro for garnish 
  
  * Note: preferably Thai birds, with serranos an acceptable substitute, 
  (though I've used sweet Fresno chiles in a variation I'll describe below). 
   
  Instructions: ============= Pour the lime juice on the chicken and let 
  stand while you prepare the rest of the soup. In a medium saucepan, place 
  the coconut milk, lemon grass, grated lime peel, galanga or ginger, and 
  (optionally) chiles. (The optional part is that if you don't want the whole 
  dish to taste spicy, add the chiles later; the earlier you add them, the 
  hotter the resulting dish.) Bring the coconut milk to a simmer. 
   
  When the soup is simmering, add the lime-soaked chicken pieces and stir to 
  distribute them.  Reduce the heat so the soup stays just below a boil and 
  cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or till the chicken pieces are finished cooking. 
  Remove from heat and serve immediately with fresh cilantro leaves for 
  garnish. 
   
  Now, the *best* way I ever had this soup was with pieces of fresh grouper 
  instead of chicken.  I also added slices of kumquats instead of the ginger, 
  and used the sweet Fresno chiles instead of Thai birds.  We also served it 
  over Vietnamese rice noodles.  Was it southeast Asian or Caribbean? Who 
  cares, it was wonderful.  If you can't find grouper, it'd be good with any 
  tender, delicate white fish -- sole, maybe, or a very fresh sea bass, or 
  maybe little chunks of monkfish.  I believe I've had this with shrimp as 
  well.  (Grouper, BTW, is a type of fish common in the Caribbean and, if I 
  recall, in other warm-water parts of the world; the flesh is very white, 
  very tender, and quite delicately flavored. I've seen it in one Asian 
  grocery store in the Bay Area, as well as in the Bahamas, so I'd guess that 
  Gulf Coast netters should be able to find it readily.) 
   
  Notes: ====== 1. Galanga is similar to ginger, an edible rhizome available 
  in most Asian groceries. If not available fresh, you can usually find it 
  frozen.  (Well, this is the SF Bay Area; if you can't find it at Tin Tin or 
  the New Castro Market, you have to have friends smuggle it in from Bangkok 
  for you...  Other parts of the country may vary.) 
   
  2.  Chile peppers add a lot to the dish; I've had it so hot that I could 
  barely eat it, and I've had it completely smooth, sweet and mild.  I like 
  it in the middle. 
   
  3.  Lemon grass adds a lot to the flavor and aroma, but as near as I can 
  tell it isn't edible unless you puree it.  (If there's sufficient demand, 
  I'll print my recipe for Vietnamese turkey fajitas.) I just eat around the 
  slices of lemon grass and ginger. 
   
  From: megatest!sfisher@uu2.psi.com (Scott Fisher)