Fight the sickness.

Firstly I would like to apologise to my friends, family and work colleagues for my lurgy this week. I have been most pathetic and generally weak, of body and character. Sorry about that.

So I haven't updated the blog properly for a while but I have been cooking. On Saturday I needed something simple but tasty and uplifting so I went for Tom Yam Gai (based on Nigel Slater's recipe). Spicy, salty and sour. Great for a cold. Like the Thai version of a good Jewish Mother's chicken soup.

Cooking recipes with lots of ingredients can be quite expensive so it's worth (if you have the time) shopping around. I sent Dr W out foraging for well priced ingredients and with the help of our local oriental supermarket and the fruit & veg stall he did very well. In particular...

Six big stalks of fresh lemongrass for £1.20
Big bag of thin rice noodles for £1.80
Squid Brand  fish sauce (nam pla) for £1.20

All this will keep and do for loads more meals. Hoorah!

So. Roast two chicken legs and pick off the cooked meat (Enjoy the crispy skin. You know you want to). Heat one litre of chicken stock (I used cubes. I am a heathen.) in a big pan and simmer the chicken, two lemongrass stalks chopped into a couple of pieces and bashed to release the lemonyness, three small red chillies (depending how hot you want it), two chopped cloves of garlic and sliced spring onions. Add about a tablespoon of nam pla and a teaspoon of sugar. 

After about 10mins add lime juice and chopped coriander. Taste to check that you have the right balance of salty, sweet and sour. Ladle over rice noodles that have been soaked in boiling water until cooked.
 
Just right for perking up a coldy AmSam. Don't eat the lemongrass.