chicken galangal lemongrass recipe

October 6, 2011 2:34 PM

Give me a great recipe that uses chicken, galangal (fresh) and lemongrass. Other exotic ingredients OK. Probably on rice. Not too much chilli. Thanks!
posted by wilful to food & drink (8 answers total)

Tom kha Gai soup all you need is chicken stock, lime leaves, coconut milk and a couple more condiments an you've got a Thai favorite
posted by furnace.heart at 2:40 PM on October 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

I was going to say the same thing. Simmer the above ingredients in coconut milk, along with other veggies if you like. Throw in a teaspoon or so of store-bought curry paste for a slightly different flavor, and serve over steamed jasmine rice.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:22 PM on October 6, 2011

Chicken, lemongrass and galangal? Mmm. Nothing you make from those ingredients will be a disappointment.

I would also make tom kha gai, or tom yum if I wanted something less coconutty. Since you're making it yourself, you can tone down the chilli as much as you like.

Chilli-free recipes with Thai flavours aren't part of my personal repertoire, which is to say that I haven't actually tried either of these, but: if the chicken in question is intact enough to be roastable, this Thai-style roast chicken recipe looks interesting. And if not, this recipe for steamed marinated chicken pieces with noodles looks good too.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:25 PM on October 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks guys, but tom kha gai was the only thing I already had a recipe for! Any others?
posted by wilful at 3:33 PM on October 6, 2011

Make a pureed carrot soup. Something like this:

Warm a quart of chicken (or veggie) stock with a few lime leaves in it.

Chop some lemongrass very fine (you want to have as few long fibers as possible). Probably 1-2 large, short stalks. I have a plant that puts out smaller stalks so I use 6-8. Mix it with a few cloves of minced garlic, minced or grated galangal (as much as you want, but at least 2 tbsp), 1/2 tsp of red curry paste (more or less to taste), and 1 tsp (or more) ground coriander.

Chop and saute a small onion. Add the mixture from above and saute until dry (the coriander should toast a little). Add a pound of chopped carrots and saute for a bit longer. Add the stock (remove the lime leaves at this point, since all of this will get pureed) and simmer until the carrots are soft, 10-20 minutes depending on your carrots.

Remove from heat and puree. I use an immersion blender.

Return to heat and whisk in half a can (200ml) of coconut milk. Simmer for 10 more minutes, then add your chunky ingredients -- chicken is great here (I sizzle up stir-fry pieces in a pan with some sesame oil and minced garlic, then add them), as is tofu, spinach, etc. Right before serving add a little lemon juice/zest if you want, and any spiciness you want (sambal oelek, sriracha, etc). I serve it over brown rice with minced cilantro and a blob of tart yogurt.

I can't remember where I got this recipe, but I've been making it every couple of weeks (sometimes subbing in ginger for the galangal, which is good but not the same) for over a year and am very much not yet tired of it. It lends itself to a lot of variations as well, particularly in the finishing.
posted by j.edwards at 4:05 PM on October 6, 2011

Balinese chicken curry! Make sure you use coconut oil. Salam leaves might be hard to find, but I wouldn't worry too much; the rest is flavourful enough.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:48 PM on October 6, 2011

Get yourself some palm sugar. It's what is missing from just about any application you are considering!

Also, Kefir lime leaves.

I keep all of this stuff (lemon grass, kefir lime leaves, galangal) in my freezer. Palm sugar in the fridge.
posted by jbenben at 9:59 PM on October 6, 2011

I went with tom kha gai, but added half a dozen deseeded and peeled roma tomatoes. Pretty good.
posted by wilful at 9:09 PM on October 7, 2011