The Chef's improvised laksa
Call me shameless, but I totally played the sick card today for homemade curry soup. Do you know Tom Ka Gai soup? It’s my favourite soup ever — this Thai dish is my go-to meal when I’ve got a cold. It’s spicy enough to break through the congestion barrier, opens up the sinuses, cuts through to your taste buds, and it packs a lot of protein (chicken and mushrooms) and vegetables. It tastes fan-bloody-tastic and yes, it can bring you back from the dead.
In other words, I was willing to play the sick card and hit up The Chef for this soup. I haven’t been out of the house since Friday, and this cold had worked its way up into my eyes, which were swollen and tearing up so badly I was debating whether I was presentable enough to go out in public and get takeout Tom Ka Gai. I also wondered if the local Thai restaurants would make their Tom Ka Gai spicy enough. As for cooking, it was also a question of ingredients — a good Tom Ka Gai has lots of kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal. Sheesh, a rather tall order for even a cosmopolitan Toronto neighbourhood in February. On a Sunday. In Vancouver this is easy — the best Thai takeaways were near my house, but here?
The Chef made a shopping list, started the chicken stock on the stove, and headed out to Roncy to see what he could find from the Chinese-run produce stands. He returned a short time later, unable to round up any kaffir, lemongrass, or galangal, but he managed to gather enough supplies in the neighbourhood to make an improvised laksa that totally hit the spot.
Man, did it ever. The curried chicken, mushrooms, and chilis with limes in noodles was exactly what I needed. Three cheers for guys who can cook!
