Not a Cake!

Apparently, it was a trend a loooonnng time ago to make sandwiches (or other appetizers) look like desserts... so this is my contribution...

Looks like a cake but it is really a sandwich!

3 layers of bread (cut into a round using a cookie cutter), with chicken spread on the bottom layer and a slice each of ham and cheese on to upper layer.  The "frosting" is a thin layer of softened cream cheese and the garnish is diced red bell pepper!

Thai-Inspired Roast Chicken

Actually, this is a tale of 2 chickens, both inspired by Thai cuisine...

I bought 2 spring chickens from the weekend market... I was thinking of grilled or roast chicken for dinner... both Thai-inspired.

The first one was a chili-lime chicken, for hubby who loves spicy dishes!

The second one was this...

1 spring chicken, about 1 to 1.1 kilo (clean and rinse), cut in half lengthwise

8 to 10 cloves of garlic
3 to 4 stems of wansoy (coriander)
1 teaspoon black and white peppercorns
3 pieces 3-in tanglad (lemongrass, white part only)
2 tablespoons each fish sauce, dark soy sauce, honey
1 to 2 chilis, optional

Place everything in a (small) food processor or pound (mortar and pestle).

Marinate the chicken halves overnight.

Roast at 400F for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Cover with foil if the skin gets too burned.  (I placed each half in its own little roasting pan.)

Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Everyone agreed that this was the better of the 2 chickens... and even better than the local Andoks!

Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a dish I often order at restaurants.  I like chicken, ham and cheese... and because we have a lot of ham I decided to try make Chicken Cordon Bleu at home.  Except that I did not like the idea of frying the whole thing.



So I ended up baking them...



7 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (half breasts)

1/4 cup butter, diced into 12 small pieces
7 to 8 thin slices pina ham

7 to 8 pieces quick melt sandwich cheese

1 cup flour, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon each salt, black pepper and Italian spice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs mixed with 1 teaspoon Italian spice

Rinse the chicken breasts and then pat dry.  Pound between plastic sheets until thin.  Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on the chicken breasts and fold over; secure with toothpicks.  (Personally I pound the chicken not too thin and slice/make a pocket and stuff the ham and cheese inside; then secure with toothpicks).

Roll in the flour mix, dip in beaten egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.  Re-dip in beaten egg and then roll again in breadcrumbs.

Lightly grease a large Pyrex baking dish.  Scatter half the butter in the dish then arrange the chicken in the pan.  Dot the tops with the remaining butter.  Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes.

Don't forget to take out the toothpicks before eating!

Pho Ga

Pardon the color of my picture, I'm not sure what happened...

but this was my attempt to make pho...

I basically followed this recipe although I did not have shrimps so I used squid balls instead...

Hubby's comment was "Not bad".  Personally I think it needs more work!

Quick Brined Chicken

Roast (or turbo) chicken was never a favorite.  Mainly because they were mostly dry, tough and flavorless.  But once I learned the secret, it has become an easy meal!

The secret is brining!  And I followed Ruhlman's instructions.  I mainly do the quick brine method and I end up with moist, flavorful chicken!

Well, ok the process is not that fast (I did say easy, not fast) but the procedure is mainly waiting time... and the pay-off is really great!

Chicken Adobo sa Dilaw

What is more delicious than adobo?  Adobo sa Dilaw (Adobo cooked with Turmeric) that's what!  I have made adobo sa dilaw with pork before.  But a recent trip to Taal where we tasted authentic adobo sa dilaw, using chicken on the bone, had me craving for it.  And, as it was impractical to go back to Taal, I just had to make it at home.  For my homemade version, I added boiled eggs too.

The recipe is virtually the same as my usual adobo sa dilaw with minor changes.

1 kilo chicken legs, rinsed, cleaned and patted dry
6 pieces yellow ginger, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp black and white peppercorns
1/4 cup local vinegar
1 cup soda water (7-Up or Sprite)
3/4 cup to 1 cup water
2 pieces bay leaf
2 pieces dried chili
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
4 pieces hard-boiled eggs

Saute the yellow ginger, onion, garlic and peppercorns.  Add the chicken.  Cook until the chicken is lightly browned.  Pour in the vinger, soda and water; do not stir until the liquid boils.  Throw in the bay leaves and dried chili.  Season with salt, to taste.  (Remember that different kinds of salt have varying levels of saltiness.)

Simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken legs).  Add the boiled eggs when almost done.  Simmer further until the eggs are heated through.

Serve over hot rice.

Chicken with Broccoli

Whenever I see broccoli, I always think Chinese food.  Maybe it has something to do with my childhood, who knows?  All I remember is that we often had broccoli, and it was cooked with either chicken strips or pork strips.

This particular dish is on the bland side.  As always, when the dish is for my mom, I do not add salt and I try to be light-handed with the soy sauce (aside from using quality and hopefully low-sodium soy sauce, of course!).  But go ahead and season the dish according to your taste!

The recipe:  

 500 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 large head of broccoli
6 thin slices of ginger
3 cloves, sliced into slivers
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
water, as needed

Marinade for the chicken:
1/2 tablespoon thick soya paste
1/2 tablespoon shao xing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Trim the excess fat from the chicken, then rinse and pat dry.  Slice the chicken into strips and marinate for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli.

Separate the broccoli into florets, rinse and drain.  If there is a short stalk attached, remove the outer stalk  and slice into the inner stalk into thick strips.

Saute the garlic and quick fry the broccoli stems for about a minute.  Add the florets and stir fry another 30 to 60 seconds.  Remove from the pan.

Saute the ginger and onions.  Add the chicken strips and all of the marinade.  Stir fry until the chicken is partially cooked.  Add back the broccoli and add the seasonings.  If the mixture is too dry, add water (in small increments).  Cook until the chicken is done.  Check and adjust seasonings according to taste.

Roast Chicken, the Day After

This is a great way to make a new dish out of old roast chicken.  had 3/4 of a chicken left over so for today's lunch we had Creamed Chicken and Mushrooms over Smashed Potatoes!

To make the creamed chicken and mushrooms, shred leftover roast chicken.  If the chicken has gravy, thin it with a little hot water.

Saute onions and sliced mushrooms then throw in the shredded chicken with its gravy.  My gravy was a cream gravy so my dish turned out whitish, but white or brown gravy is fine.  (Lechon manok sauce doesn't work so well, though.)  If the roast chicken has no gravy, add chicken stock and some fresh milk or cooking cream and thicken with cornstarch slurry.  Cook until the mixture just boils.  Season to taste.  Then serve on top of potatoes or rice! 

That's it!  Easy-peasy!  Hubby didn't even notice (or recognize) that it was the previous night's dinner!

Braised Chicken with Chestnuts and Mushrooms

Once in a while I cook for my mom and when I do, I always try to make the dish no-salt-added.  Why?  Because she developed hypertension early (in her late 30s I think) and since then she has tried to reduce her salt intake.  So her taste buds (and ours, too because she cooked reduced salt for everyone!) favors the blander side of food. 

Of course I have to use soy sauce and other condiments, but if the dish is for my mom, I would never add table salt or sea salt, or fish sauce.  Of course it goes without saying, we don't use MSG.

It is not easy to please my mom, but somewhere along the way, I stopped trying.  I just send over the dish and if she has no complaints, then it's good news to me!

Braised Chicken with Chestnuts and Mushrooms, no salt added.

400 grams boneless, skinless chicken wings
12 pieces dried shitake mushroom, rehydrated, reserve soaking liquid
100 grams cooked chestnuts
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
about 8 thin slices of ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 pieces star anise
1 piece cinnamon stick
1 to 2 pieces dried chili
3 stalks leeks, sliced diagonally, white and green parts separated
boiled eggs, optional

Rinse the chicken thighs and remove the fatty membranes.  Slice each into 2 or 3 chunks.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of mushroom soaking liquid, half the ginger, half the garlic, star anise, and cinnamon stick.

Saute the remaining garlic and ginger, onion, dried chili, and white part of the leeks.  Add the chicken and marinade.   Add the mushrooms and chestnuts.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  If the mixture seems too dry, add reserved mushroom liquid by tablespoons.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the boiled eggs in the last 3 to 5 minutes, if using.  Thicken with cornstarch slurry.  Garnish with the green part of the leeks.  Serve immediately.

The secret to the dish is the very flavorful mushroom soaking liquid!

Ginataang Manok, Kalabasa at Malunggay

(Chicken, Squash and Moringa leaves cooked in Coconut Cream)

Nobody ever believes me when I say that there are days when I (definitely) do not want to cook.  And, even when they understand that I have no-cook days, they certainly don't believe that I sometimes take out food from a turo-turo (literally point-point, referring to a small eatery where the customer simply points to the already cooked food to indicate his choice).

This is one of those dishes that I first encountered in a turo-turo...  and I loved it!

I've tried to recreate it a couple of times but failed - somehow the flavor profile had always been wrong.  Until someone gave me the brilliant idea of using patis (fish sauce).  Ok, this is a dish that I would never, ever had succeeded at considering the patis ban in my kitchen.  But having authentic Thai patis is an exception!  It turns out the secret to the dish is the patis!

3 thin slices of ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium Spanish onion, sliced thinly
800 grams chicken legs, rinsed and cleaned
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 wedge of kalabasa (about 1/8 of a big one or 1/4 of a medium one), peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons patis/fish sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
handful of malunggay leaves (Moringa)

Saute the ginger, garlic and onion until fragrant.  Put in the chicken to brown; season with a large pinch of sea salt.  When the chicken is lightly browned, pour in the coconut cream and stock.  When the mixture boils, add the cubed kalabasa.  Season to taste with patis, sea salt and pepper.  Simmer until the chicken and kalabasa are almost done (I like it when a bit of the kalabasa melts into the sauce).  Throw in the malunggay and let simmer a couple of minutes more.  Serve hot over rice!

Tasty Turbo Roast Chicken

A friend shared this really tasty chicken recipe...  The beauty of her recipe is its sheer simplicity.  It requires almost no work...

First buy a whole chicken and have it cleaned (so you don't have to do it by yourself!).  Then open a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Pour or spoon the contents of the condensed soup inside the inner cavity of the chicken and throw in 2 to 3 pieces of bacon, and some crushed garlic as well.  Place it in a turbo broiler and let it cook for 40 to 50 minutes, turning once or twice midway, depending on the size of the chicken.  (If roasting in an oven, make sure to place a pan below the chicken to save the drippings and "gravy".)  That's it!

In my particular case, however, I made a slight boo-boo.  I was careless and ended up with 2 whole but butterflied spring chickens!  In short, my chickens had no cavity to stuff the soup, bacon and garlic in.  So I improvised.  I spread the condensed soup (and bacon) in the bottom of a large Pyrex dish and laid the butterflied chickens, skin side up, on the soup and bacon, and (inconveniently) forgetting the put in the garlic with the bacon!

A-te J then requested that I place cracked black pepper on top (she likes a bit of kick in her food) so I did, finally remembering the garlic and putting it on top too.  I baked mine in the oven and it took about 60 minutes.

Long story short, it was absolutely yummy!!!

Thank you, friend M.!

Braised Chicken with Chestnuts

I couldn't get out of cooking dinner.  As much as I preferred to eat out (just to escape the heat)... hubby insisted on having dinner at home.  He was tired of eating out and (he says) he missed my cooking.  So, fine.  If I had to cook, I wanted something that was fast... maximum of 15 minutes on the stove!

This is what I came up with...

250 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 thin slices of ginger
6 pieces dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated, stems removed
100 grams cooked, shelled chestnuts
splash of rice wine
water or stock
2 pieces star anise
1 piece siling labuyo (red chili)
light soy sauce, to taste

Rinse the chicken thighs and remove any excess fat.  Slice each thigh into 2 or 3 pieces.  Marinate in soy sauce and sesame oil for at least 2 hours (in the fridge).

Saute ginger then quick fry the chicken thighs (pour in all the marinade also).  Add the rehydrated mushrooms (slice in half if they are too big) and chestnuts.  Splash with a little rice wine.  Add enough water or stock to barely cover everything.  Throw in star anise and chili.  Season to taste.

Simmer about 15 minutes or until the chicken is done.  Thicken with cornstarch slurry, if desired.  Serve over rice.

Chicken Barbecue, Pinoy-style

I suppose every family has its own recipe for barbecue.  I never really had one, maybe because it was far too easy to buy delicious barbecue...  but hubby requested a "healthier" barbecue, so I thought of boneless, skinless chicken thighs... 

700 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Marinade:
2/3 cup banana (chili) ketchup
1/2 cup Sprite or 7-Up
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground pepper
8 cloves garlic, smashed
more salt, as preferred (about 1/2 tablespoon sea salt for me)

Slice the chicken into cubes and marinate at least overnight.  Thread chicken on skewers and grill over charcoal.  Baste with marinade mixed with 1/4 cup chili ketchup and 1 tablespoon oil.

The flavor of this dish is a bit subtle, which is how we like it.  For a more intense flavor, add more salt and banana chili ketchup, or even chopped chilli.

Pinatisang Manok at Malunggay

Chicken and Moringa stewed in Fish Sauce

This is another dish that is reminiscent of my childhood.  It's not one that my mom cooked, rather it was our long-time household help.  She was with our family ever since I could remember, all the way up to past my teen years.  In fact, she was with us until shortly after my dad passed away.

Anyway, this dish was one that she would make, until fish sauce was outlawed by my mom.  Her dish was a simple stew, made of cut up (whole) chicken, and maybe a few chunks of potato.  My version is made with skinless, boneless chicken (sliced into chunks) and malunggay (moringa)!

600 to 700 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/8 cup Thai fish sauce
juice of 1 big or 2 small calamansi
fresh ground peppercorns

2-inch piece of ginger, sliced thinly
1 medium white onion, sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup chicken stock or water
handful of malunggay leaves

Marinate the (rinsed and dried) chicken thighs (cut into chunks) with the fish sauce, calamansi juice and peppercorns for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Saute the ginger, onions and garlic.  Add the chicken (reserve marinade, if there's any left).  Stir fry a couple of minutes then add the tomatoes.  Pour in the chicken stock or water and the reserved marinade.  Simmer until the chicken is cooked and the liquid is reduced.  Check the seasonings and adjust if needed.  Throw in the malunggay, cover and turn off the heat.  Serve immediately.

Needless to say, this is a recipe that is alien to me (fish sauce, remember?) but I'm glad to say that cookbooks are really helpful!  I based my recipe in the "Pinatisan" recipe in this book... 

Sarap!

Perfect Breasts

Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, that is...

Hubby announced that we might be having company for dinner tonight.  I panicked!  There was no time to go to the grocery and I only had skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the freezer.  Aside from that, all I had were salad greens and 3 kinds of fresh mushrooms.

I usually cook chicken breasts with vegetables, quickly sauteing so that the chicken does not dry out.  But this time, I decided to try something different. 
 

Last Christmas, a friend gave me the e-book copy of The Kitchn Cookbook.  It was there that I discovered the best way to cook chicken breasts on the stove.  An e-friend also referred a page on the site of The Kitchn, pertaining to the same topic.  The same e-friend then told me about the adaptations she made.  I decided to follow her directions ...

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split into 2 (avoid the overly big ones)
2 cups water
1/8 cup sea salt
1/2 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 pieces (small) bay leaves, crumbled

Dissolve the sea salt in the water; set aside for a while.  Place the chicken breasts in a bowl.  Put in the crushed peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves.  Pour in the salted water; make sure the chicken is fully submerged.  Let stand 15 to 30 minutes; then drain and pat dry.  Pound the chicken breasts (gently) about 1/2-inch thick.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large, shallow frying pan (big enough to fit all the chicken breasts in a single layer).

Pat the chicken dry (again) and place in heated oil (heat on medium-high).  Set the timer for 1 minute, then flip the breasts.  Cover the pan, lower the heat to low then set the timer for 10 minutes.  Let the chicken breasts cook, undisturbed.  (Do not uncover!)

After 10 minutes, shut off the heat/flame.  Let the chicken rest, in the pan still covered, another 10 minutes.  After the 2nd 10 minutes, check the chicken for doneness.

Hubby topped his salad with the chicken (as well as some sauteed mushrooms), and he declared the chicken a winner!     

Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

This is a variation of the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic I made sometime ago.  It came about when someone suggested to me:  (1) add potatoes and make it a 2-in-1 dish, (2) use both peeled and unpeeled garlic, and less of it, and, (3) skip the herbs.

6 large pieces chicken thigh, bone-in and skin on (rinsed then patted dry)

650 to 700 grams potatoes, skin on, scrubbed clean then cubed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, minced

calamansi
1 tablespoon each sea salt and coarsely ground peppercorns
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, cloves separated

Place the potatoes, in a single layer, in a disposable aluminum baking pan (about 8x12-inch).  Pour the melted butter over the potatoes.  Sprinkle the salt, ground peppercorns and minced garlic.  Toss everything together until the potatoes are coated with the melted butter and spices.

Rub calamansi over the chicken.  Rub the salt and pepper mix onto the chicken, and in between the skin and meat.  Arrange over the potatoes.  Scatter the unpeeled cloves of garlic all over.  Bake at 375F for about an hour.

I couldn't believe it but this version was a bigger hit than the one with 40 cloves of garlic.

Apparently, the secret to the dish is to keep the garlic unpeeled.  As the dish is baking, the garlic is transformed into soft mush that's so tasty and delicious!  It's especially good smeared on the chicken!

Thai-style Garlic Chicken, Barbecued

Yes, I am still into Thai food.

Here's an experiment with chicken!

The recipe came from this book (which I got last Christmas!)

And, as always, I made some changes.

The recipe specified boneless chicken breasts, but I only had thighs (with bone).  And I used way more garlic (love the flavor!), skipped the shallots (didn't have any) and added more fish sauce...

My version:

1 head of garlic, peeled
1 cup packed fresh wansoy, with stems (I omitted the roots)
1/4 cup calamansi juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 pieces large chicken thighs

Rinse and dry the chicken thighs.  Place in a shallow dish just big enough to hold the chicken.  Put the garlic, wansoy, calamansi juice, fish sauce and peppercorns in a food processor.  Whiz until the mixture is smooth.  Dump the mixture onto the chicken thighs and rub all over, including between the skin and meat.  Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Grill over hot coals until done!  Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Prosciutto-wrapped Stuffed Chicken Thighs

Some weeks ago, hubby and I tried out a "new" restaurant.  And I saw bacon-wrapped chicken breasts on the menu. I was intrigued by the picture.  But I was deterred by the humongous layer of fat on the bacon depicted in the picture.  But the idea of chicken wrapped in pork simmered in my mind.  So now I'm trying it out... with prosciutto instead bacon and thighs instead of breasts.  And to make things more interesting, I decided to stuff the thighs with cheese and basil (although the truth is, I just wanted to finish the leftover cheese sticks and fresh basil leaves in the fridge!)

Here's a peek inside...

I started with about 700 grams of bonesless, skinless chicken thighs.  The pack I bought contained about 10 medium-small pieces.  The first thing to do is to trim the thighs (remove excess fat); rinse then drain.  Then pat dry with paper towels.

Meanwhile, cut the cheese sticks into manageable pieces (depending on the size of the chicken thighs) and wrap in a basil leaf.  Use 2 or 3 leaves if the basil leaves are on the small size.  Make enough for all the thighs and set aside for a while.

Place the chicken in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or wax paper) and pound until flattened.  Sprinkle a small pinch of fine salt on the meat (but personally, I did not season the chicken anymore because the prosciutto is salty enough and the basil brings a lot of flavor already).  Wrap the mini basil-cheese rolls inside the thighs.

Then wrap the stuffed chicken thighs (carefully!) in prosciutto, making sure that the ends are covered and sealed (otherwise the cheese may "escape").

Shallow fry the chicken pieces about 3 to 5 minutes each side (longer time if the chicken thighs are on the big side).

Enjoy!!!

Yum!

Chicken Thighs with 40 Cloves of Garlic

I'd been eying this recipe for the longest time.  I've read many variations of it... from the so-called Engagement Chicken in the cookbook "100 Recipes a Woman Should Know", to Julia Child's, to a million others on the internet.  But, the price of garlic dissuaded me again and again.  Especially when its price tripled a couple of months ago!

But for now the price of garlic has returned to normal, more or less.  And, for once, the pantry had a lot of garlic, more than usual.  And I was actually fearful that it would start sprouting!

Then, at the last minute, BFF was coming over for a visit, so it was the perfect time for this recipe.  She actually requested lemongrass roast chicken but...  I wanted to (finally) make this chicken with 40 cloves (that's about 4 heads) of garlic! 

Anyway, in the end I decided to adapt Alton Brown's recipe, since it looked simple and fast!  But I "personalized" it.  Here is what I did -

1 to 1.2 kilos chicken thighs (about 7 to 8 pieces)
40 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed and peeled
2/3 cup canola and grapeseed oil mix
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary (leaves off the stem and coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
juice from 1/2 sweet orange, 1 small lemon and 1 lime (or big calamansi)

Clean the chicken thighs (remove fats and excess skin, etc.).  Rinse, drain and pat dry.  Set aside for a while.

Combine oil and garlic; gently heat until garlic smells fragrant.  This will take just a couple of minutes.  Let the oil cool to almost room temperature.  Meanwhile, mix together rosemary, salt and pepper.

Arrange chicken pieces in a baking tray (I used a disposable aluminum one).  Pour garlic oil all over and (use your fingers) to coat the chicken with the oil.  Rub the chicken with the rosemary-salt-pepper mix (get some in between the skin and meat too!)  Arrange chicken skin side up and drizzle the citrus juices all over.

Bake at 375F for about 45 to 55 minutes or until skin is browned and crisped.

Tom Kha Gai (ต้ม ข่า ไก่)

If it seems like I am on a Thai-food binge, it's because I am!  After tasting real Thai cuisine, I am absolutely hooked! (And to think I already like the "localized version" Thai food.)  Time to recreate a popular Thai dish in my kitchen.

The Chicken and Galangal in Coconut Milk Soup is by far my most liked dish.  It's the easiest one for me to make too, considering I have galangal (havested mid-last year and frozen/dried), lemongrass and kaffir lime in the food garden!  Then, just last Sunday, I found lime in the weekend market.  Together with the fish sauce (น้ำปลา) I brought back from Thailand, my ingredients line up was virtually complete.

And given its popularity, the web is full of recipes.  In my case, however, I followed the recipe in this book (which I bought at the airport on our way back).  The book is not a new publication (it was first published in 2003) and certainly not the latest by the author but it has been re-published almost every year!  And flipping through its pages, I found it more suited to a novice to Thai food (like I am) considering it has a section on basic Thai ingredients and a general introduction to various Thai sauces and pastes, as well as "step-by-step" photographs.  (And notice the bookmark - Thai souvenir from MBK!)

While there are many recipes on the internet, quite a number of them indicate ginger as an ingredient rather than galangal.  I don't believe that ginger should be substituted, especially since Asian markets already have galangal paste, dried galangal, etc.  Besides, it cannot be Chicken Galangal (ข่า or Kha) Soup without galangal!

In any case, here is a recipe quite similar to the one in the book.  The slight differences - I used coconut cream (about 400 ml), chicken stock (made from the breast bones, about 500 to 600 ml) and instead of straw mushrooms, I used about 250 grams oyster mushrooms.  I also added a generous teaspoon of coco-sugar and adjusted the fish sauce according to personal taste.

My verdict?  While it tastes great immediately after it is cooked, I discovered that it was better the next day!