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Community Corner

Recipe: Thai Sawadee's Lemongrass Soup

Utilizing popular Thai ingredients, this soup is light and bright in flavor. It's Thai Sawadee's most requested recipe, the owners say.

Lemongrass, with its mild and delicate flavor, is used to enhance many dishes in Thai cuisine. It's now available in many major supermarkets, and home cooks are beginning to understand how to use lemongrass in the family meal.

At , lemongrass soup is a popular menu item. said it's the most requested recipe by customers. Saicholpitak is happy to share it with customers. If they tell him their soup didn't turn out as well has his, he talks to them about what they might have done wrong and how to correct it.

Saicholpitak generously provided his lemongrass soup recipe for Chesterfield Patch readers to try at home. He said that this is a soup that should be tailored to the taste of the cook, increasing or decreasing the spiciness as desired. This adaptation is mild and meant to be adjusted to taste. To increase spiciness, add a little more Thai chili sauce and galangal (Thai ginger). Do you want more lemon flavor? Add more lemongrass or lemon juice.

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Lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves are available at World Market and most Asian grocery stores. The lemongrass and galangal are not meant to be eaten, but many diners like to chew on the pieces for the spicy flavors they impart.

Thai Sawadee Lemon Grass Soup
Serves 6Β 

Ingredients

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  • 3 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 stalks fresh lemongrass (each 12 to 18 inches long), cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 12 thin, quarter-sized slices galangal
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh lime leaves
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves chopped (or desired amount of shrimp or vegetables)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (approximate)
  • 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai chili sauce

Directions

  1. Place 3 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth in a large pot and bring to a boil.
  2. Add lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. Place lid on pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes. (Note: You may peel the lemongrass and galangal if you like, but it's not necessary since it won't be eaten.)
  3. Meanwhile, clean and prepare your mushrooms, chicken or shrimp, and vegetables if including.
  4. Add mushrooms and vegetables and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
  5. Increase heat and add chicken or shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes until meat is cooked through.
  6. Add lemon juice, Asian fish sauce and Thai chili sauce, adjusting for taste.
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