Thai Ginger Chicken Soup, "Tom Khing Gai"

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken cut into bite sized pieces
3-4 cups chicken stock
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised (this isn't eaten, but is an essential flavorant)
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 coriander/cilantro plants, including roots chopped.
1 tablespoon Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced.
1 tablespoon dried chili peppers
the juice of 3 or 4 limes
2 or 3 tablespoons sliced bamboo shoots or asparagus (this recipe is great with asparagus)
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
2 tablespoon shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh galangal, minced
Thai pepper powder to taste

Heat a wok dry, and warm the dried chilis, then crumble them. Add a little oil to the wok and saute the chilis, ginger, galangal, shallots and garlic, until aromatic.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil. Add the sauteed ingredients, and the fish sauce and lime juice, and taste for balance. Then add the remaining ingredients, and bring back to a boil before adding the chicken. After about 1 minute taste for the balance of spices again, and then serve when the chicken is just cooked.