Tom Yum Gai from Thailand

Tom Yum is one of Thailand's most famous dishes.  Tom Yum Goong is with prawns, and Tom Yum Gai is with chicken.  Tom Yum is a soup that combines many flavours.  Sweet, sour, salty, spicy - it's all there.  Different regions of Thailand have different variations on making this soup.  They are all delicious.  If you do not have a handy well-stocked Asian or Thai section in your supermarket then you may battle to get some of the ingredients in a traditional Tom Yum.  My version of Tom Yum gives similar flavours without all the specialist ingredients.

6 cups chicken stock

3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons chopped kaffir lime leaves or 1 tablespoon lime zest

6 tablespoons lemon juice

6 large mushrooms slices

6 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger finely chopped

2 chilies seeded and diced.

1 tablespoon chili powder (add in another if you want it very spicy)

1/3 each of red, yellow and green capsicum to give colour

1 onion sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tomatoes cut into quarters

large handful of fresh coriander chopped

1 can coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

(If you have fish sauce then use 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons fish sauce)

Add everything into a large pot except the tomato, coriander, capsicum and coconut milk.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to medium heat until the chicken is cooked.  Add the tomato, capsicum and half the coriander and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.  What you do now is taste test.  To get the balance of flavours just right you might have to add a little more lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce or chili, but that you'll only know by tasting, and only add a little at a time if it's needed.  Serve in bowls and decorate with some of the fresh coriander.

Cindy Vine is a South African author and teacher currently living in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective and The Colorful Art of Pain - all available on Amazon in kindle and print format.