chicken broth
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 decent sized sprig of fresh thyme (ad libbed with about 1 tsp. powdered thyme)
1 medium sized onion, cut into pieces
2 largish carrots, cut into pieces
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces*
6 cups water

Everything else:

as many mushrooms, cut any way, of any kind
likewise with shrimp, if you want
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 slices galanga root
4 kaffir lime leaves
as much cilantro leaves as you like
1 tsp. chili sauce
2 tbsp. fish sauce (nuoc nam)
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
sliced hot peppers, enough for 2 or 3 slices per serving (optional)

Use a large covered stockpot. Heat olive and sesame oil on high heat. Add cloves, bay leaves, thyme, (these should be pounded a bit first to crack the fibers and release more flavor) and onion, carrots. Cover 2 minutes, stir if you want.

Add chicken on top, and pour ONE cup of water over the tops of the chicken. Cover. Cook 5 minutes on high.

Add remainder of water, cover, continue heating till it starts to boil, then turn heat down and simmer covered 30 minutes. Skim off foam occasionally Remove chicken, debone, and cut into bite sized pieces. Strain soup, avoid getting the sediment at the bottom.

Take 4 cups of the stock, heat until it begins to boil, turn down the heat till it is just simmering. Add galanga, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves (bash them a bit to break the fibers -- it allows them to release more flavor). Add mushrooms, chicken, shrimp. Stir in the fish sauce, chili paste. Cover, cook for another 5 minutes. Serve.

Add lemon juice (just have slices of lemon or lime that you can squeeze) cilantro, and thinly sliced jalapenos or other hot peppers at the table. Fresh licorice basil also adds a nice touch.

Submitted by: RC