Hot and Sour Yellow-Eyed Pea Soup with Chicken

In a large saucepan, cover the yellow- eyed peas with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat, add a generous pinch of salt and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and spread the peas on a baking sheet to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine the chicken, chicken stock, lemongrass, lime leaves, crushed ginger, 4 of the garlic cloves and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, skimming the surface as necessary, until the chicken is cooked and the broth is flavorful, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1 cup each of cilantro and mint, the fish sauce and jalapeño and let stand for 20 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large heatproof bowl; discard the aromatics and herbs. Wipe out the pot.

Melt the butter in the pot. Add the sliced ginger and the remaining 2 garlic cloves and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in half of the cooked yellow-eyed peas and the chicken broth and bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Working in batches, carefully puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and bring just to a simmer. Remove the chicken from the bones and shred the meat. Stir the shredded chicken, lime juice and the remaining yellow-eyed peas into the soup and season lightly with salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with cilantro and mint leaves, jalapeño and radish slices and lime wedges.

Kaffir lime leaves are the fragrant leaves of kaffir limes, a fruit native to Indonesia, Thailand and other parts
of Southeast Asia. They are available at Southeast Asian and some Asian markets and online at importfood.com.