Thai penicillin: chicken and rice soup to cure a fluish princess

Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel
·5 min read

Asawin “AJ” Jockkeaw is speaking of soup’s power as a post-night-out elixir.

“In Thailand, we eat it after the bars close,” says Jockkeaw, chef/owner of Meng’s Kitchen. He’s also a drummer.

“In America, when I play in a band, afterwards, my bandmates always want to go to Taco Bell. I go home and put up a pot of water, add the Vietnamese pho base, throw in some bean sprouts and some cheap, frozen Italian meatballs from Publix… It’s so salty! It does the job.”

“Can we please talk about the chicken-rice soup?” I plead.

Jockkeaw laughs. “Sorry, sorry, yes….”

Days later, I appreciate the humor. But at the time, forgive the drama, I was a few hours from praying for death.

True story.

That Christmas flu spike the Sentinel wrote about last week? I was right in there with the multitudes. And the only thing that gave me any relief amid the misery, besides sleep and Tamiflu, was Jockkeaw’s chicken and rice soup.

Feeling sick after Christmas? Flu is spiking in Central Florida

“It’s underrated!” he tells me.

Truly, it is.

I’ve been a fan of the tom kha gai (Thai chicken coconut soup) since Meng’s launch, which back in 2022 saw it nailing the top spot for takeout in the Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards Critic’s Picks, but I hadn’t had the pleasure of this simpler sip until recently, wherein the ginger and garlic opened my cement-sealed noggin while the broth-swollen rice fortified my tummy in the benign way a fluish princess needs.

Though “Jewish penicillin” often gets top billing, every culture in the world has its own version of chicken soup, each with its own unique superpowers.

“With this soup, like any, it’s the warmth of the broth,” Jockkeaw opines, “but then there’s the comfort of the rice and the ginger. For Asian people, ingredients like ginger, galangal, lemongrass… it’s almost more like medicine for when you get sick. Then, you sip the chicken soup with the onion and the cilantro. It just makes you feel good.”

It does. And it did.

After a whole lot of not feeling good, it was the first thing I ate once I could fathom the idea of eating, and it was so powerful a healer that it displaced the seafood stew that was supposed to mark this, the first installment of a month-long salute to National Soup Month.

Stay tuned for that amazing recipe, which I’ll write up when I can think about anchovy-infused broth laden with clams, scallops and hunks of fish. Words I’m surprised I can comfortably type, quite frankly.

I have Jockkeaw’s gentle, if potent, potion to thank for that.

For less dire colds, or just because, his tom yum gai is a sour-spicy sensation, as well. And if you don’t want to pay a visit to his friendly little shop inside the iFresh Supermarket (2415 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando), you might want to make a pot yourself.

More folks who visit Meng’s order this one, “most customers come in and want something that seems more Asian…” says Jockkeaw, “but the chicken and rice, with broth, simmered with green onions and peppercorn and the fried garlic and oil on top, and the daikon radish … the aromas just penetrate your head. You have to try it.”

I can’t argue. But first, get your flu shot.

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Some notes: For those unfamiliar, Golden Mountain seasoning is very similar to soy sauce (it’s mostly soy!) but with added sugar and seasoning for a more complex flavor. Tom Yum paste is a concentrated paste made up largely of the ingredients you’ll already use if you make the tom yum soup (lemongrass, galangal, etc.). You should be able to find both at your closest Asian market (or hit the Internet).

Chicken & Rice Soup

Recipe courtesy Asawin “AJ” Jockkeaw of Meng’s Kitchen, makes eight 16-ounce servings

Ingredients

  • Broth

  • 4 quarts water

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Golden Mountain seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 2 green onions, whole

  • 1 small daikon radish, diced

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/2 chicken, bone-in

Add-ins/Toppings

  • Steamed Rice (Jasmine preferred)

  • Fresh sliced ginger

  • Fried garlic in oil

  • Chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions

  1. Put ingredients for broth in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.

  2. Lower heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or unit chicken is fully cooked.

  3. Remove chicken, allow to cool, then shred.

  4. To serve: put steamed rice in a bowl, top with shredded chicken, ginger slices, fried garlic, broth and chopped green onion/cilantro.

Tom Yum Gai with Chicken (Thai Lemongrass Hot & Sour Soup with Chicken)

Makes eight 16-ounce servings

Ingredients for broth:

  • 4 quarts water

  • 4 ounces sugar

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce or soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon chicken base

  • 4 tablespoons Tom yum paste

  • 6 kaffir lime leaves

  • 1 stalk lemongrass cut in half-inch pieces

  • 1 Galangal root, sliced

  • Half chicken, bone-in (or use shrimp (1 lb.) if you prefer)

Veggies/Toppings

  • 1 cup sliced yellow onions

  • 1 cup sliced mushroom

  • 1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

  • Chopped green onions & cilantro

  • 1 teaspoon of Thai dried chili pepper powder (optional)

Directions

  1. Place broth ingredients in a pot, cover with water and bring to boil.

  2. Lower heat and simmer, 20-30 mins.

  3. Remove chicken to cool, then shred.

  4. Split veggies/protein evenly between bowls

  5. Ladle broth over raw vegetables

  6. Top with green onion, scallion, splash lemon juice and pinch chili powder if using