Tom kha gai (Thai coconut curry chicken soup)

[rosefox]

This is pure wintertime comfort food, savory and warming, and it makes your house smells amazing. It's also pretty quick and easy to make, and adapts well to any veg you have lying around; we've made it with green beans and mushrooms, and some recipes call for sweet potato. Just divide the veg into "takes 10 minutes to cook" (goes in with/instead of the potato), "takes 5 minutes to cook" (goes in with the chicken), and "barely needs to cook" (goes in with/instead of the bell pepper). You can also omit the potato and put in noodles instead. Whatever! It's flexible.

If you don't have lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves, add more lime juice to compensate.

The curry paste is more for flavor than heat. My six-year-old scarfed several bowls of this and begged for more. If you want it spicier, increase the curry, add a bit of chili oil or some sliced fresh chili peppers, or throw in a few dried chili peppers while it's simmering.

The quality of the broth has a significant effect on the flavor of the soup. Homemade stock is ideal.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced very thin
2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 large piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small slices
1 Tbsp minced fresh lemongrass (reserve stalks)
6 Tbsp minced cilantro, divided
30 oz full-fat coconut milk
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 tsp GF fish sauce (or 2 tsp GF oyster sauce + 2 tsp GF soy sauce or liquid aminos), divided
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 pound red or russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp lime juice (from 2–3 limes)

( Instructions )

Instant Pot chicken root vegetable stock

[rosefox]

I started making my own chicken stock during the pandemic and will never buy boxed again. The Instant Pot makes it easy. Roast some stuff, put it in water, put it under pressure for three hours, and you have liquid gold. I find the root vegetables add a wonderful rich sweetness that makes this stock very suitable for chicken soup, winter stews, or drinking by the cup.

The secret to this flavorful stock is to spend a whole chicken on it, or the equivalent in skin-on bone-in chicken parts. A mix of wings and legs works well. I buy several pounds at a time of whatever's on sale and freeze it until I'm ready to make a batch.

These measurements are for an 8-quart Instant Pot. Reduce quantities proportionately for a smaller Instant Pot. If you make a lot of stock, I recommend investing in a large Instant Pot, three OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Fat Separators, and a Chef's Planet #130 Multipurpose Filter Funnel Set.

Ingredients

3–4 pounds skin-on chicken parts with plenty of meat (1 whole chicken cut into parts is ideal)
1 carcass from a roast or rotisserie chicken (optional)
1 small clove garlic (really, just one)
1/2 pound carrots
1 celery root (can substitute 3–4 stalks celery)
2 parsnips
1 sweet yellow onion
canola oil or peanut oil (I prefer peanut for the flavor it gives while roasting, but use canola if there are peanut allergy concerns)
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt
10 cups water

Equipment

8-quart Instant Pot, ideally with stainless steel liner and strainer basket
Large mixing bowl
Oven
2 sheet pans, with optional silicone sheet pan liners
Fine mesh strainer
Fat separator (optional)

( Instructions )