AUGUST 2006 IN THE KITCHEN ARTICLE

YOUR OWN THAI GARDEN:

Years ago Phil and I got a great lesson in the importance of using authentic ingredients to recreate a memorable taste experience. We dined at a Thai restaurant for the first time, and with one taste of the silky, rich chicken and coconut milk soup known as tom ka gai, we were hooked. I couldn’t wait to get home and try to make the soup myself, and capture that amazingly complex interplay of sour, salty and spicy flavors.

So I simmered shredded chicken in (homemade!) broth and coconut milk, stirred in grated fresh ginger and a squeeze of lime juice, floated whisper- thin sliced mushrooms on top and added a swirl of chile oil to finish. The resulting soup could not have been more one- dimensional and disappointing. No matter how I altered the ingredients’ proportions, I could not come close to approximating the nuances of the dish we had savored.

Finally I did what a less headstrong person would have done in the first place; I added a few Thai cookbooks to our kitchen library. It was then that I discovered how many ingredients I had left out of the soup, some of which I had never purchased or used. Now indispensable Thai ingredients such as fish sauce grace our pantry, and fragrant Thai herbs thrive in our garden beds, supplying us with the truly authentic flavors we remembered.

Here are the herbs we grow for our Thai cooking. With the exception of mint, they are tender tropicals that will need to be brought indoors to overwinter.

Mint

We use several different mints for our Thai dishes, but if we had to choose one it would be the Kentucky Colonel spearmint, with its clean, sharp taste. Those with a collector’s bent can seek out lime or ginger mint as well.

Thai Basil

This handsome plant, with glossy pointed green leaves and striking magenta flower clusters, would be equally at home in either a kitchen garden or flower bed. Its leaves have more of a licorice flavor than Italian basils, and they are used fresh in curries, soups and stir- fries, or as an edible garnish.

Kaffir Lime

This quirky citrus tree has 2- lobed leaves with the unmistakable aroma of the freshest of limes. This is one of the haunting tastes in that soup I couldn’t pin down; the leaves are shredded and added to the broth, and then strained out before serving. This is a true citrus that will produce intoxicatingly fragrant white flowers and knobby green fruit with thick rinds, but it’s the leaves that are the true prize. Give this plant filtered light in the summer and regular feedings of organic fish emulsion. If you haven’t harvested any of the leaves for fresh use during the summer months, don’t fret- as soon you bring it indoors before the first fall frost, it’s likely to drop all its leaves in protest. Simply freeze those leaves, keep it in a sunny window and spritz it with water every few days to maintain humidity around it, and it will put out new growth soon.

Lemongrass

At first glance this plant, with its fountain of narrow- bladed leaves, looks like another of the ubiquitous ornamental grasses landscaping firms are fond of using. But bend one of the leaves in half and inhale the exotic, citrusy aroma: This is the other flavor dimension my soup was lacking. To use, cut one of the fibrous stalks close to the base of the plant and remove the tough, fibrous outer sheath to reveal the pale, tender heart of the stalk. Mince that finely to add to soups, curries and stir- fries, and save the sheath and the long leaves for a refreshing hot or iced tea, or to flavor rice.

Sources:

Edible Landscaping
361 Spirit Ridge Lane, Afton, VA 22920
1-800-524-4156
www.ediblelandscaping.com (Kaffir Lime, lemongrass plants)

See recipe below

Chicken and Coconut Milk Soup
tom ka gai

(Serves 2)
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
3 Kaffir lime leaves, torn
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, tender heart minced
1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
7 tablespoons coconut milk
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup bite- sized pieces skinless chicken
2 tablespoons chile oil or 2 small chiles, finely sliced, or to taste

Heat the stock and add the lime leaves, lemongrass and ginger. Bring stock to a simmer and add coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Stir well and add chicken pieces; simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving, add chile oil or chiles, stir again, and serve.
(Adapted from “Thai Cooking” by Jackum Brown, Octopus Publishing Group, 1998)