In the beginning...

Welcome to Ginger.Lime.Coconut!  I began blogging years ago, but I never really found my niche until I rediscovered my love of food.  "Food" has been growing on me since I was in 4-H in elementary school.  I always dreaded the sewing part, but became quite excited when we had to do a cooking demonstration.  In the following years I had a love/hate relationship with food.  I never really knew what to do with the ingredients in my kitchen and was quite aggravated at times dreading having to cook yet again!  It wasn't until I moved to Chicago when my passion was rekindled and I truly fell in love with food.  I began seeing food as "art" and was quite thrilled when I read menus at restaurants or food blogs on the internet. 
        I became a mom and switching from the working world to being a stay at home mom was a shock to my system.  I learned to go back to my country roots from where it all began and pick up little things I had learned along the way to where I now feel quite comfortable throwing a dish together at the spur of the moment or mapping out weekly menu plans. 
       It took awhile to get to this point, but I'm happy I finally found my way back!


    So you may wonder... why Ginger.Lime.Coconut?  When I moved into my first apartment and didn't know what to make I bought a lot of canned items.  Sometimes I stuck closer to my comfort zone, but occasionally I'd go and grab something just because.  One of those times I walked down the asian aisle of the grocery store and as I was browsing a canned soup caught my eye.  The can read "Tom Kha Gai" and I thought "hmmmmm why the heck not?"  I threw the can in my cart and headed home.
     A few weeks later when I had gotten home from work and was about to make dinner I realized that I didn't have anything that sounded good.  As I was looking through my cupboards I found the can of soup pushed way far in the back. I felt a little bit daring so I opened the can and heated it up.  A beautiful aroma filled the air so creamy and fragrant yet light and refreshing and I thought "well this will be good!"
    As I took my first bite the broth was so smooth and velvety as it glided down my throat and it was oddly thin and light at the same time.  The flavors of creamy rich coconut, zesty ginger and sweet yet acidic lime exploded in my mouth.  I loved how they complimented eachother yet you could tell distinctively what each flavor belonged too.  Since tasting Tom Kha Gai soup I have experimented with these three flavors in combination and individually and they are among my top favorite ingredients when I cook.  They sound like two ordinary fruits and one ordinary vegetable, but individually and together they really pack a powerful punch!

Here's a relatively simple recipe found on allrecipes.com


                           Tom Kha Gai

Prep Time:  15 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Ready In:    35 Min

Ingredients



3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken meat


3 tablespoons vegetable oil


2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk


2 cups water


2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root


4 tablespoons fish sauce


1/4 cup fresh lime juice


1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric


2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion


1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.Cut chicken into thin strips and saute in oil for to 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken turns white.

2.In a pot, bring coconut milk and water to a boil. Reduce heat. Add ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne powder and turmeric. Simmer until the chicken is done, 10 to 15 minutes.

3.Sprinkle with scallions and fresh cilantro and serve steaming hot.

 ENJOY!