One of my favorite quotes ever is Ann Wigmore's: "The food you eat can be either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison." I happen to agree with her one hundred percent, and the fact that so many people are completely oblivious to this fact breaks my heart in a million pieces every time I think about it.
However, this post isn't so much about the food itself, but the act of cooking it. Whenever I am sick, I cook. Whenever I am sad, I cook. Whenever I am anxious, I cook. And by the time the meal is finished, regardless of whether it was a giant multicourse dinner or just a simple pot of soup, I always feel better. Even if it's just a little bit.
I know that If I don't feel well, cooking may sound counterproductive: expending energy that I don't have to prepare something that I am not even sure I will want to or be able to eat.
But cooking is my therapy. When I am cooking, I am present. It is a form of meditation, where the smells and colors of the ingredients are the focus. And the meal that they will transition into is the goal. And just as in meditation, we transcend the ego and commune with our true self, the spirit. When cooking, I quiet the mind and all the rubble that is always so active inside of it, and connect with my spirit, which guides my hands and tells them just how much salt to add.
Today, as I try to make sense of my stomach and body aches, I keep telling myself I need to eat something so I don't feel so weak. But everything sounds awful, and my stomach turns at the thought of every single thing in the fridge.
Over the years I have realized that there are two things, that no matter how ill I feel, always sound good, and more importantly, always taste and feel good once I sit down in front of them and prepare myself to ingest them: avgolemono and tom kha gai.
The first one, is a traditional Greek soup. Lemon, chicken and egg yolks create a creamy, filling and heartwarming dish. Back in the days when I worked in the kitchen at Kokkari, I used to eat it in the summer months with fresh corn and chopped cilantro on top.
The second one is a traditional Thai coconut soup. It can be done with chicken or vegetarian. Eaten over brown rice it is filling, luxurious, and comforting to both the taste buds and the stomach. A friend of mine once said to me: "Tom Kha makes me happy!" I have to agree.
And as I sit here, writing these words, trying to summon the energy to get up from the chair and walk myself into the kitchen, the thought of one of these two extraordinary soups, steaming in a bowl in front of me, give me hope that I will feel better by the end of today.
The problem is I don't really have the ingredients to make a proper tom kha gai, but the thought of silky coconut milk and cilantro are really making me imagine a healthier and happier me. Then again, the thought of avgolemono evokes strength and appetite... On the other hand, I don't even have any chicken.... Well I think I have enough stuff to make something in between the two. It's settled: a hybrid it is!
Below is the recipe for what I prepared, using whatever I had in house (fresh delicious vegetables from our CSA box delivered on Wednesday) mixing it all up, not following any particular recipe but instead listening to my spirit, telling me what to put in there, so that I could heal my body, and in turn my soul. The result was delightful, and it did indeed make me feel better, even if it was just a little bit...
Tom Kha Gai - Avgolemono Hybrid
Ingredients:
1 quart Stock (homemade is ideal, store bought can be perked up)
1 ea Onion, diced
2 ea Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
2 ea Cans of coconut milk, full fat, no additives
4 ea Padron Peppers, sliced. (These were from the CSA, feel free to substitute with Anaheim, Cubanelle or whatever you've got)
1 ea Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped
1/4 bu Cilantro, finely chopped
2 ea Limes, zest of one, juice of both
2 tsp Fresh ginger, grated
2 TB Cornstarch
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
3 ea Egg Yolks
1 ear Corn, kernels off the cob (this was also from the CSA, feel free to add any veggies you have, or some chicken breast or thighs if you wish)
Salt to taste
Method:
In a heavy stock pot, sauté the onions, peppers, ginger and garlic in some coconut oil (if you don't have any, you can substitute with olive oil) until translucent and fragrant. Add the cilantro and deglaze with a little stock and salt.
Once it's sizzling, add the rest of the stock. If using store bought, bring it to a boil, then simmer gently for about 30 minutes, to infuse the stock with the flavor of the sofrito. Otherwise, add the coconut milk and the corn and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Once the flavor of the soup is where you want it, add a little cold water to the cornstarch to make a slurry. Slowly whisk the slurry into the soup and bring it back to a boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice into the egg yolks. Once the soup starts to boil it will thicken considerably. Turn back down to a simmer, and slowly whisk in a little at a time into the egg yolk and lemon juice mixture. This is called tempering. You want to add a little at a time while whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Once your egg mixture is nice and hot, add it into the soup, stirring as you add.
Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer, adjust the salt and acid, and voila. Enjoy over brown rice.
