Tamarind Chicken Soup
It’s not absolutely necessary to sauté the chicken for this soup. If you want to make your life easier, just chop the aromatics, purée them in a food processor, then boil it all together.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp tamarind or ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, chopped
- 1-3 Thai chilies, dry or fresh
- 2 tsp turmeric, ground
- ¼ tsp long pepper or white pepper, ground
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 8 cups water
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 small Chinese eggplant
- 1 small onion
- 1 less-ripe tomato
- 1 cup water spinach or spinach
- Salt to taste
- 3 scallions
- Sambal oelek
Method
-
1
Soak tamarind in ¼ cup boiling water.
-
2
Place garlic, ginger, chile, turmeric, and long pepper in a mortar or food processor and purée.
-
3
Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put the chicken and aromatic purée in a bowl. Stir well to ensure each pieces is well-coated.
-
4
Pour oil into a pot and sauté chicken on medium heat about 12 minutes. Pour in water, soaked tamarind pulp, and fish sauce. Boil 15 minutes.
-
5
Meanwhile, dice vegetables into 1-inch pieces and add to the pot when the chicken is cooked, except spinach. Simmer 5 more minutes. Add the spinach and water and cook 2 minutes more.
-
6
Add salt to taste. Garnish with minced scallion and a side of sambal oelek.
A variation of the Fish and Pineapple Soup from The Spice Trekkers Cook at Home
