Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

I fell in love with chicken coconut soup at my favorite Thai restaurant Banana Leaf.  It took several attempts to perfect the recipe.  I love this soup.  If I ever get stinking sick with the flu or a sinus infection, or bronchitus, this is my feel good cure.  I also found out that if I ever need to lose a little weight this soup will knock me off the plateau so that my diet works again.  I am not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the coconut milk kick-starting my metabolism.

2 chicken breasts
2 C water
1 t salt

Boil the chicken in the water for about 13 minutes.  Take the chicken out of the water and set on a plate to cool while you are making the rest of the soup.  After it has cooled, shred the chicken by hand and reserve it for later.

1 qt chicken broth
2 T sugar
14 oz can of coconut milk(regular, not lite)

Into the water in which you have boiled the chicken breasts add 1 quart of chicken broth the can of coconut milk and the sugar.  Set aside.

1 small onion
4 cloves of galic
1 or 2 jalapenos
about 3 T peeled and grated fresh ginger

Chop the onion into very small peices.  Chop the garlic.  Remove the seeds and white veins from the jalapeno (I throw these away) and chop the peppers up as well.  In a skillet add about a tablespoon of oil.  Let this heat up then add the onion.  Cook for a couple of minutes then add the garlic.  Cook for about 1 minute then add the jalapeno and ginger.  Cook for about 1 minute then add the entire contents of the skillet inot the broth.

Bring the broth to a boil.

Add to the broth:

3/4 C frozen corn or the kernals from one fresh ear of corn
1 pint sliced mushrooms
1 T soy sauce

Bring this down to a simmer.  You can simmer this for about 15 minutes.  Add the chicken at the end of the cooking time. 

When you are ready to serve this add the following:

Juice from on lime
about 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro


You can serve this as it is or over a bowl of steaming rice.  I also serve this with some Tony Cacherra or Carribean jerk spices at the table for anyone who needs a really big kick.