Tom Kha Gai - ต้มข่าไก่ (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
This classic Thai coconut milk-based soup is proper comfort food. The lime juice and chili give it a refreshing kick. You can substitute chicken with quorn or tofu, and fish sauce with mushroom soy sauce for a vegetarian alternative. Serve with a bowl of steamed Jasmine rice and enjoy!
Ingredients:
(makes 4 servings)
1 shallot (or red onion), cut into quarters
15g of galangal, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
2 sticks of lemongrass, top layer removed and cut into 3cm long pieces
350ml of water
2.5 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp salt
2.5 tsp sugar, we like to use brown sugar
200g boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into thin strips
500ml coconut milk
150g oyster mushrooms; or other, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 fresh birds eye chilies or dried chili
1 tbsp of Thai chili paste (we use this one)
1 whole lime, juiced
sprigs of coriander for garnish
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, add the water, shallots, galangal, and lemongrass. Bring to boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and let boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This releases the beautiful flavors of the ingredients and forms the basis of the soup.
Note: In order for the galangal and lemongrass to release more aromatics, you can crush the herbs slightly before putting them in the saucepan (e.g. using a mortar and pestle, a knife handle, a bottle… you can get creative)
Pour in the coconut milk and reduce to medium-high heat. Be careful that the liquid doesn’t foam and spill over.
Season with fish sauce, salt, and sugar. Give it a taste. The soup should taste very strong and almost over-seasoned at this point. Adding the rest of the ingredients in the next steps will balance this out.
Bring the soup to a boil and add both the chicken and mushrooms.
Once it’s back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, add the chilies, and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (5-10 minutes).
Add half of the lime juice. Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning, adding lime juice and chili paste to your liking. If the soup tastes too strong, you can dilute it with additional water or coconut milk.
When serving, discard the lemongrass and galangal. Freshly squeeze a quarter of a lime in the serving bowl and garnish with some chili and optional coriander leaves.
Enjoy!
