Vegetarian Tom Ka Gai
Ingredients
- 6 lbs of raw, seeded, and unpeeled pumpkin
- 3 stalks of lemongrass (just the bottom white part)
- 2 cubic inch knob of ginger
- 2 cubic inch knob of galangal if available
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 10 kaffir lime leaves if available
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- ½ C Nam Pla or Thai fish sauce (vegan version might be available or use light soy sauce)
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 can coconut milk
- Finely chopped scallion and cilantro
- Siracha or homemade scallion oil (blend the green parts of scallions with good quality, flavorless oil)
Directions
- Put the first 6 ingredients in a pot with approximately 2 quarts of water, and boil for one hour until the pumpkin is very soft.
- Drain the solids while saving the stock.
- Remove and discard lemongrass, ginger galangal, and kaffir lime leaves.
- Scoop out the pumpkin flesh from the outer peel and place in blender. Add the cooked garlic cloves and puree with the cooking liquid. The mixture should be smooth.
- Now add the lime juice, Nam Pla, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Amounts can be adjusted to taste.
- Garnish with a small amount of finely sliced scallion, chopped cilantro, Siracha drops or scallion oil.