Tom Kha Chicken Soup

Tom Kha Soup - with Chicken (Thai coconut soup)

Ingredients:

• Oraganic Chicken Broth - 32 oz
• Unsweetened coconut milk - 8 oz
• Lemon Grass - 1 long leaf (about 12 inch long)
• Kaffir lime leaves - 2-3
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Ginger - about 2 inch piece, sliced
• Cilantro leaves - 1 tbsp chopped
• Green chillies - 2-3 whole
• Chicken - about 4 oz chopped in small pieces
• White button mushrooms - 2 oz chopped (1 mushroom into 4 or 6 pieces)
• Salt to tatse

Method:

• In a stalkpot, add chicken broth and chicken pieces.
• When the chicken is cooked, add mushrooms, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves,ginger and chillies and salt.
• Continue to boil for another 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to meduim and cover the stalkpot with a lid. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes for the flavors to mix.
• Add coconut milk, stir and cook on medium for another 2-3 minutes.
• Strain out the lemon grass and kaffir lime pieces. You can strain out the chillies and ginger if you want.
• Add lemon juice and cilantro and serve hot.

To serve:
Serve hot.

Chicken Masala

This is a very quick recipe for spicy chicken curry. If I have to cook this in the traditional way like my mom or grandmom, it will call for a serious 2-3 hours effort before the delicious chicken curry is ready. Thanks to my mom, she has shortened the process and yet it tastes just as good - although not as good as the original grandmom's recipe. 

So here it goes:

Chicken Masala (serves 4)

Preparation time - 30 mins

Cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

• Organic chicken - 2 lb  (combination of boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs)
• Red onion chopped - 2 medium sized
• Dry coconut grated - 4 tbsp
• Garam Masala - 3 tbsp
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

For green masala:

• Garlic cloves - 5-6
• Ginger - about 2 inch piece
• Chopped red onion - 2 tbsp
• Serrano peppers - 2
• Coriander chopped - 2 tbsp

Method:

•  In a cooking pot, roast coconut and onion and transfer into a plate to cool.
• Grind the green masala ingredients and coconut and onions into fine paste.
• Clean and wash chicken and chop the chicken into pieces (not too small though, since they shrink after cooking)
• In a mixing bowl, add 2 tbsp oil, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, ground marinate paste and chicken pieces and mix well.
• Marinate chicken pieces in the mixing bowl for about an hour.
• In the cooking pot, heat remaining oil, saute remaining chopped onions.
• Add the marinated chicken and shallow fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add garam masala and fry for another 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups of water and cook for another 15 minutes or till the chicken is cooked.

To serve:

• Serve it hot with rice or naan.
• Add a side of sliced raw onion and lemon juice.
• A drop of homemade ghee in each serving bowl enhances the taste 200%

Notes:

• Adjust the light meat (chicken breast) and dark meat (thighs) combination depending on about of fat you want to use. More dark meat obviously tastes better, but also adds more fat (just in case you are watching the calories)
• Add more water and while cooking if you need to adjust the consistency if the gravy. You might need to add salt and spice to adjust the taste.

Quick Chicken Soup

This recipe is real simple and quick. The recipe calls for lots of garlic and turmeric. So it automatically becomes a fix for your itchy throat especially during allergy season. My baby loves this soup especially when she is down with cold and wants just something warm to drink.

Ingredients:

• Swanson Organic Chicken Stalk - 1 carton (32 oz)
• Garlic cloves: 8-10 
• Turmeric - 1 tsp
• Crushed black pepper:1 tsp
• dash of Sea Salt
• Oregano: 1/2 tsp
• Onion  1/2 cup fine chopped
• Organic boneless skinless chicken thighs: 8-10 oz
• Egg - 1 count
• Oil - 2-3 tsp

Method:

• Rinse and chop chicken into bite size pieces and marinate with a pinch of salt, turmeric, oregano and about 1/2 tsp of oil and set aside.
• Heat remaining oil in a vessel and add garlic cloves when oil is hot. Crush the garlic cloves inside the oil using a potato smasher. Stir fry garlic cloves till they turn golden brown.
• Add turmeric, chopped onions and oregano and stir fry till onions become translucent.
• Add marinated chicken pieces and stir  fry till chicken is had cooked.
• Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
• Boil for about 10 minutes or till chicken pieces are fully cooked.
• Beat egg is a bowl and pour it into the boiling soup.Stir continuously so that egg spreads out well in the boiling liquid.
• Add sea salt and black pepper.

To serve:

• Serve hot.
• To add a little extra taste, add a teaspoon of vinegar and Serrano peppers when serving.

Baby food recipe 6: Chicken Pasta

Baby food recipe 6: Chicken Pasta

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup cooked pasta
• 1/4 cup cut vegetables (grated carrot, sliced yellow squash, chopped spinach)
• 1/4 piece cooked chicken breast
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 tbsp pasta sauce

Method:

• In a skillet, heat olive oil, add cut vegetables and herbs. 
• Add fine chopped chicken. 
• Add pasta sauce and stir fry for 2 minutes. 
• Add cooked pasta and cover and cook for another minute. 
• Add little water or more pasta sauce if you need more moist pasta.

To serve: 

Transfer pasta in a plate and place a cheese slice immediately on the top and let it melt.

Please note:
I usually pressure cook the chicken to make sure the meat is well cooked.  Also, I use the left over water for moistening the pasta.

Usually I use any organic pasta.
If its not tiny shaped like mini pasta shells, then after the pasta is cooked and cold, I pulse it in vegetable chopper, to chops it in tiny pieces. It saves me time to cook 2 different pastas,I for the baby and one for us.

Any mom out there is welcome to try these out - of course as always, do keep in mind what your baby might be allergic to and as always, consult the pediatrician before introducing any new food.