Whisper the word “detox” to me and watch as an immense, unexpected desire for French fries gathers steam. This reaction happens at all times of year, but I mention it now, in January, because you’re probably hearing a lot of mutters about “healthy” and “detox” and “cleanse” and then, like me, running in just the opposite direction.
Still, there are eras of overindulgence, and, after those months, I want food that’s simple and light. This appetite shift is natural, obvious, and far less intense than the contrarian fry craving. (To note: I have no problem with French fry cravings when they’re genuine, I just dislike the rebellious ones.)
But since I last about one day on substances like salads with lite dressing, overpriced juices, and low-carb anything without getting mad and contrarian, light food now means this nourishing and comforting soup. I’m not the first to rely on this slow-cooked rice, or its starchy brethren, for comfort and health. Whether you call it congee (China) or risotto (Italy), the stuff is delicious and life-affirming: my kind of detox.
In Thailand, kao tom appears at breakfast-that’s where Alex and I first tasted, and adored, bowls of the gruel. Now, I make rice soup for any of the three meals. Since we returned from the trip two years ago, I’ve experimented with recipes, and recently, I hit on a flexible version that tastes right and isn’t too complicated or ingredient-rich to make on the regular. (I owe a lot to this recipe.)
To make rice soup, you need to make two elements: cooked rice and homemade stock. I try to have both ready ahead of time so that rice soup itself takes about 15 minutes start to finish.
Instead of fluffy rice with sought-after separated grains, you want the rice for rice soup to be soggy and clumped together from being cooked in three times as much water as usual. The water-logged grains are both starchier and thirstier, and they combine with the broth to make a thick, unified soup. I make a cup or two of rice around the same time I brew the stock. Then, I cook the soup itself fresh when I want it, in portions for one or two. At first, I used only white rice, but recently, I switched to brown.
I know that cooks pressed for time and space don’t want to hear about homemade stock, but this soup is not the same without it. In fact, these days, I make stock almost every week, and as soon as I made simmering a practice instead of a chore, I began to cherish the process. For this soup, you don’t need the pot going all day: I make a light broth quickly, so the chicken meat doesn’t dry out too much, and I keep the vegetables to a minimum, so there’s barely anything to buy, wash, or chop. Store the soup in quart jars and you can eyeball the pour when you make kao tom.
As for the soup, now’s why I tell you how good it is. Grated ginger, garlic, and soy sauce turn neutral rice and stock into a punchy base for a poached egg whose yolk will thicken the broth when you crack it and eat, making the mixture truly filling. Chicken, salvaged from stock-making, helps with that too. Then, it’s all about the toppings: sesame oil enriches, kimchi brightens, peanuts lend texture, and Sriracha warms. One bite, and you’ll feel better. One bowl, and you’ll be pretty sure you can conquer the world. And how healthy is that?
**Recipe**
Thai Rice Soup with Poached Eggs & Kimchi
Serves as many as you’d like!
If the vegetables are organic, don’t worry about peeling them for the stock-even the onion! As for quantities, 1 cup of dry rice evolves into four portions of soup; plan for 1 1/2 cups of stock for every portion. I don’t always use kimchi here, and it’s definitely not authentic. Feel free to skip it or to add a scoop of some other cooked or raw vegetable. Grated carrots and roasted turnips are two good choices.
Ingredients
For the rice:
1 cup brown or white rice (you can use almost any kind of rice-I usually do short-grain brown or Jasmine white)
For the stock:
1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 3 pieces each
1 large onion, halved
3 cloves garlic
3 whole black peppercorns
1 whole chicken
For each portion of kao tom:
1 cup cooked rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
About 1/4 cup cooked chicken from making stock, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
About 2 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, chopped
Green part of 1 scallion, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped kimchi or other vegetable
Make the rice: in a medium pot, combine the rice with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another 4 cups of water, return to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and let the rice cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes for brown rice and 15 to 20 minutes for white. Stir occasionally, so the rice doesn’t stick. If making in advance, cool to room temperature, then store in a container in the fridge.
Make the stock: in a soup pot, place the vegetables and the peppercorns. Check the chicken cavity for the liver or other innards; remove them. Set the chicken on top of the veggies. Pour in water to cover the chicken. Place over medium-high heat, then bring the pot to a boil. Skim any scum that rises to the surface and discard. Turn the heat down so the soup just simmers. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until a chicken leg wiggles really easily. Take out the chicken and cool in a bowl. Cool the stock separately. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and store in a container. When stock is cool, use a mesh strainer to remove the vegetables (eat them as a snack: they’re good!), then store the stock in glass jars in the fridge. When the stock is completely cold, you’ll be able to remove the fat from each jar-it will have gathered at the top.
When you’re ready for a nourishing, light meal, make the soup: in a small pot, combine the 1 cup cooked rice, the 1 1/2 cups stock, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and cooked chicken. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the rice and stock are fully combined, and you have a starchy-looking soup. Lower the heat as low as it goes. Crack the egg into a small prep bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Lower the bowl right into the soup, and dispatch the egg. Let the egg poach until the white is set, about 5 minutes. Spoon some of the hot broth right over the egg yolk if it’s poking out of the liquid, to help it set.
Carefully loosen the egg from the bottom of the pot and pour the soup into a bowl. Top with the peanuts, scallion, sesame oil, Sriracha, and kimchi. Serve with more hot sauce and soy sauce on the side.
