White Chili

1-1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cook and cut into small cubes)
2 14 oz cans chicken broth (note Chef JP sometimes uses a little bit less)
48 oz jar great white northen beans (we've made it with these and Butter Beans--the latter may actually be better)
and it's ok if the jars are smaller :-)
1 chopped (finely) white onion
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
approx 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can (Embassy brand) salsa verde OR 4 oz can chopped green chiles (we use one of each)
2 heaping teaspoons cumin
2 levels teaspoons oregano
1/2 heaping teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
Dash or 2 of favorite hot sauce (not sure we did this)
Fresh, chopped, cilantro (optional, but yummy)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add can of salsa/chiles.
Add the broth, chicken, beans and spices, hot sauce and cilantro.
The way we prepare the beans is drain all the water, and then
mash them up with a fork before adding. I'm the official bean smasher.
I'm really good at it. They're really what makes the chili thick.

Serve with shredded cheese, Jerry Pierce likes his with tostitos
(I recommend those thick tortilla chips).

Source: JP & Dania

Tom Kha Gai

We finally found an authentic Thai grocery store (Tuk Tuk in Berkeley) and can now start to experiment with more Thai dishes than we could before. When we run out of dishes to make, Tuk Tuk has free cooking classes every Sat 3-4.

This recipe came out really great, and I even liked the twist of pouring it over the jasmine rice to turn it into a whole meal. We also made chicken satay with it from fresh made peanut sauce from Tuk Tuk. We've tried 3 or 4 different jarred versions from various stores, but none were "right". Tuk Tuk's peanut sauce we perfect.

Ingredients

16 fluid ounces soup broth (chicken stock)
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
4 or 5 2 inch pieces fresh lemongrass, bruised to release flavor
1 inch cube (or a bit more) galangal sliced thinly.
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 oz chicken breast cut into smallish bite sized pieces
5 fluid ounces coconut milk
small red Thai chile peppers, slightly crushed (to taste)
coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish.

Note the number of red peppers is a personal choice. It can be as few as half a chilli per diner, to
as many as 8-10 per diner, but the dish should retain a balance of flavors and not be overwhelmend
by the chili peppers. We suggest about 8-12 chili peppers for this recipe.

Method

Heat the stock, add the lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir thoroughly,
bring to a boil, and add the chicken and coconut milk, then the chile peppers. Bring back to the boil,
lower the heat to keep it simmering and cook for about 2 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through).
Enjoy!

Not really intended to be eaten as a separate course, we like it served ladled over a bowl of steamed
Thai jasmine rice. This quantity serves 4 with other food, but is probably only enough for two if eaten
separately.

If you would like to have a decent-tasting tom kha without spending the time to prepare above, we also
suggest you try our convenient Tom Ka Paste (click to see description).

Source: http://importfood.com/recipes/tcsoupwithcomilk.html