Tom Kah----Instant Pot

Recently we ventured to a Thai restaurant that served Tom Kah, we'd never had it before so we gave it a try and fell immediately in love. We had also ordered Pho and my kids let me know right away that my Pho was better (swoon), so I then made it my mission to make my own Tom Kah. I've literally perfected my Pho recipe. So I made it a goal to now perfect my Tom Kah. Now I'm not going to lie, having never made it before I wasn't sure what to think, but for the very first time I knocked it out of the park. A few minor tweaks next time and I'm pretty sure we'll have another all time favorite soup in our repertoire. I love how easy this soup was to put together and lets be honest, the Instant Pot....what more can I say!!

Tom Kah

2 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk (full fat)

6 cups chicken bone broth

2  stalks fresh lemongrass, remove tough outer layer and roughly chop into 1/2 inch pieces

2 large slices of ginger (skin on)

5 garlic cloves crushed (skin on)

2 limes squeezed

4 green onions, sliced (separate green from white)

8 oz mushrooms (I used shiitake, but any type will do)

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

*for toppings: the green part of the green onion, Thai red chilies, fresh cilantro, more lime juice

1.)  Turn IP on to Saute on high. Add lemongrass, ginger, white part of green onion, garlic and saute until fragrant. 

2.)Add chicken broth, and lime juice. Close, turn on soup mode to medium (20-25 minutes)

3.) When done vent and strain broth. 

4.) Add broth back to IP, then add coconut milk, mushrooms, fish sauce and sugar. Close and turn on soup mode to low (10-15 minutes)

5.) Serve immediately garnished with your favorite toppings

Enjoy and Repeat!

Coconut Drip Cake

Some call this a "drip cake," a "poke cake," "tres leches." I call this cake the most amazing cake I've ever eaten. Seeing that our wedding cake was coconut I've dreamed of a good coconut cake since my wedding 14 years ago and sadly haven't come close. That was until yesterday. I was a little hesitant when I made this cake for a few reasons but the main reason I like a moist, but not soggy cake. I hate eating cake and ice cream together because the ice cream melts and ruins the texture of the cake. So when I read this recipe although all the ingredients together sounded delectable it would really depend on the final product to see if the texture was too mushy.  It wasn't, instead it was the most moist, delicious, coconut cloud on a plate.  This is only the second time I've used cake flour and I will say I can never go back to All Purpose flour for my cakes or cupcakes, the cake flour really does make such a difference. I also will never use vanilla extract again now that I've found vanilla bean paste, it is the experience of actual vanilla beans without having to buy and scrape my own vanilla beans.

Cake
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk

Topping
1/2 can condensed milk
1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Generous handful of unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 9X9 cake pan
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy
Beat in vanilla
Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the down the bowl after each addition
At low speed beat in buttermilk until just combined
Add flour mixture in three batches mixing until each addition is just incorporated
Spread batter evenly in pan and tap on counter to eliminate air bubbles
Bake 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean
Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes
Use a fork to puncture all over the surface of the cake
Combine condensed milk & coconut milk and pour all over cake
Let cake cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours
Using whisk attachment on a stand mixer, gently whip up cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste
Spread over cake and cover with a sprinkling of shredded coconut.
***The original recipe was double this, so 4 cups + 2 tablespoons cake four, 1 full can condensed milk, 1 full can coconut milk, etc. However seeing that there was only a few of us to serve I didn't want a ton of cake. If I was taking this to a party I would definitely double this recipe.

Lets get Crocking

I'm going to start with my newest all time favorite go to crock pot soup. What I love about this soup is not only how easy it is but also the flavors are different than most crock pot soups/stews.

Thai Chicken Rice Noodle Soup

2 cans coconut milk (I prefer using 1 full fat and 1 low fat)
1 lb chicken thighs/breasts
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp minced ginger (I probably add closer to 4 tbsp)
4 Cups chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 red bell peppers
2 cups snow peas
limes
cilantro
jalapeno (optional, I don't use as we have small tummies we are feeding, but could easily be served on side for people who like spicy)
Rice noodles

Put coconut milk, chicken, garlic, ginger, chicken stock, soy sauce in crock pot.
Cook on low 6-8 hours
10 minutes before being ready to eat cook rice noodles on stove top and add to crock pot
5-10 minutes before dinner is ready (depends on how crunchy you like your vegetables) add in bell peppers and snow peas.
Allow people to add their own limes, jalapeno and cilantro as a garnish

In this recipe I play around with the vegetables we add, carrots, bean sprouts, organic pea shoots, bok choy, etc...