Lemongrass chicken soup comes under Thai cuisine. This soup, which has a strong flavor, has proven to be a great remedy for the common cold. The ingredient called 'galangal' used in the recipes, is a type of ginger used in Southeast-Asian kitchens, also known as Siamese ginger. The fish sauce used in Thai-cooking is called 'nam pla'. The leaves of 'kaffir lime' add an aromatic flavor to the soup. Recipe 1 Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• ¼ pound soba noodles
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons coconut milk
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 slices galangal
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 4 chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound chicken breasts (skinless; chopped into small pieces)
• 8 button mushrooms (chopped into thin slices)

Directions Boil the water in a vessel. Add the soba noodles to it, to cook until tender. Rinse it twice with cold water after draining the vessel. Mix 1 tablespoon of sesame oil with the noodles and keep it aside. In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, lemongrass, fish sauce, galangal, curry powder, lime juice, lime zest, chili peppers, cilantro, and salt; keep aside, too. Coat the chicken pieces with the remaining sesame oil in a bowl. Place the saucepan on a low heat, add the chicken pieces to it, and let the mixture simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and boiled noodles to the pan. Stir the soup for another 2-5 minutes, garnish with the cilantro, and serve hot. Recipe 2 Ingredients

• 6 oz. chicken (cut into bit-sized pieces)
• 16 oz. chicken stock
• 2 stalks lemongrass (crushed)
• 4-5 kaffir lime leaves (crushed)
• 1 piece galangal (thinly sliced)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut cream
• 1 can straw mushrooms (drained and rinsed)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 red chili pepper (dried and crushed)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 6 green onions (green-tops thinly sliced)

Directions Combine the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves, straw mushrooms, lemongrass, and galangal, in a medium-sized saucepan, and place it on a medium flame. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the coconut milk, chicken pieces, and red chili pepper, to it. Reduce the flame and let the soup boil until the chicken is cooked, completely. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and green onions; let the soup cook for another minute. Garnish with the thick coconut cream, and serve hot. Recipe 3 Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts (skinless; cut into bit-sized pieces)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 large lemongrass stalk (angle-cut into 2'' pieces)
• 8 slices galangal
• 12 fresh kaffir lime leaves (chopped)
• 2 cans coconut milk (unsweetened)
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2½ tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili-tamarind paste
• 2½ tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 5 small Thai chilies (stemmed and crushed)
• ½ pound mushrooms (sliced)

Directions Mix the chicken stock, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, in a saucepan. Place it on a medium flame and bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and add the chicken pieces; let the soup boil for 20-30 minutes. Add the chili-tamarind paste, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice, to the soup. Stir it until the sugar and the chili-tamarind paste, dissolve. Add the mushroom slices in the end and let the soup simmer for about a minute. Serve hot.