Thai Chicken Soup for the Sick Around Town

Thought our 5 year old was over the flu but the fever came back last night so we clocked another day on the couch.  The little one has stayed healthy through it all and I am desperately trying to fight it off myself.

Since I know I'm not alone in the sick family community, I thought I'd share what we make on our house for sick ones big and small.  Ka-tom, or what I like to call the Thai version of a cross between oatmeal and matzo ball chicken soup.  It is so easy to make, has a million variations for all tastes and levels of sick tummies and just feels good inside.  It is pretty much just rice soup - boil a pot of water and add cooked rice (we always have a cooked rice in the rice cooker but that step may add a little planning for some) and simmer it, stirring and adding water as needed until it is the perfect consistency of mush.  It can be plain, or you can add meat, fish, veggies, egg and the savior of all, Thai fish sauce.

 Stir it all up, spoon it into a bowl and let the warm goodness heal your insides.  Enjoy!


Photo note:  this is the traditional Thai way of serving it, the grated fresh ginger is incredible in it though I always have to get my eggs cooked a little more for my taste!

Ten Things I Love About My Thai Hubby (and, for you skeptics, no I don’t have any hubbies of other ethnicities!)

1) that he knows lots of little tricks like toothpaste being the perfect way to soothe a burn

2) his kind Buddhist heart  (I know, cliche, but it is true)

3) that he will not stop tickling our daughters until they say, “Stop, Daddy!” in Thai

4) that he is the main chef of the house and cooks us amazing Thai food

5) his superb mango cutting skills (seriously, you’ve never seen a mango cut like this - no mess, no juice ... he makes it look so easy!)

6) that I can go to the local temples in Thailand to offer up thanks without feeling like a western wannabe Buddhist

7) that, within a year of living in the US, he had more friends than I did here even though it is my native language, culture and he had never left Thailand before

8) that he is the perfect go-with-the-flow complement to my oh-my-the-world-is-ending personality and that some of these are actually rubbing off on each other

9) that our daughters are officially part of the BuJew community

10) that he thinks of any meal without rice as not real food and feels like I am doing our kids a disservice when I bust out the mac n cheese and fish sticks on nights he’s not home for dinner (come on, they’re organic!)