Tom Ka Gai

Who is this Tom guy, you ask? Only the one antidote I turn to when my tummy is giving me trouble. The "chicken soup for my digestive soul," if you will. Tom completes me.

No, Tanner need not worry...I, of course, am merely talking about a type of coconut milk soup that I have been having quite often this summer. Actually, during the school year as well! I have had the great fortune of working literally smack dab in the Asian district of OKC the past 3 years....thus I feel safe to say that I can tell you the best place for Thai, the best Pho in town (in orders 1, 2, & 3), and which buffets actually give you the best bang for your buck (and are MSG-free!). So, Tom Ka Gai became this thing that seemed to creep it's way into my diet. I swear to you it has healing powers. ;)

So, tonight I decided I'd make it from scratch at home. And I also added the twist of using all organic and/or free-range ingredients. While buying all the ingredients organically was costly on the front end, over the long haul....it's gonna be cheaper this way.

I am not going to pretend that I am some all-organic gal. If you hang around me at all, you know that that is NOT true! However, I've had to reshape some thinking this summer. Considering I almost had surgery but changing my eating habits, along with a medication, has literally helped me "dodge that bullet," I will go online now to say that I hope to research & learn more about the food I eat. I'll never swear off soda totally. I'll never claim to be process-free for life. But I can make small changes. And I truly believe food can BE our medicine for many, many things. My hope is that in the next 4 months I will not need my medication for my acid reflux and gall bladder at all, merely because I am not putting tons of toxins into my body. Have you seen "Food, Inc"? Crazy, crazy stuff... I digress...

So with thanks to the knowledgeable staff at Forward Foods, the lovely Asian District, and my husband (who wonders why it smells so funky in the kitchen now), I present to you the link to a soup recipe that proved to be a winner. I just ate a steamy bowl & LOVED every bite.

click for recipe

I also read some of the feedback/reviews before making it. The first review has great advice. He/she called this recipe a "mock" Tom Ka Gai, and I believe it. Or, rather, we should call this "Tom Ka Gai for Beginners/Whities Such As Me." I imagine the Real McCoy has at least 10 more secret spices in it.

I, along with others, wanted more lime.

(I tell ya, someday I hope to write a cookbook with "lime" in the title.)

So I doubled the lime part. It was maybe a tad too much. I also added more coconut milk than the recipe called for, only because I wanted more in volume---I predict I'll have this for lunch over the next 4 days or so.

I cut back a tad on the tumeric. Research the health benefits of this Eastern spice & you will want it in there even though it does take the color from a pure white to a golden yellow.

I also am not a huge cilantro fan, but found it was just not gonna be complete without adding it at the end. Oh, and the only other "tweek" I did was instead of vegetable oil, I used coconut oil. That was merely my preference because of my sensitive digestive system.

If you aren't ready to plunge into this recipe, go to your favorite Thai place & order a bowl. See if it is love at first sip for you the way it was for me. It may not be your thing...heck, Tanner grilled a juicy steak while I made this soup because he is not a fan of most of my Eastern obsessions. ;) But that is one of our many yin/yangs and the reason we work.

Just let me know what you think with a lil' old comment if you do try this recipe!

~That CurlGirl