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Tom Kha Gai Soup (Chicken, Galangal and Coconut Soup)
Serves 4-6 Prep 15 min Cook 5 min Total 20 min Type Meal Origin Thai

Tom Kha Gai Soup (Chicken, Galangal and Coconut Soup)

Thailand's tom kha gai: chicken and mushrooms in a galangal-and-coconut milk broth with lemongrass, kaffir lime and lime juice.

Serves 4 Prep 15 minutes Cook 5 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Tom kha gai is a popular spicy coconut soup. The tasty broth is more important than what you put into it as a main ingredient, which in this case is chicken, although you could substitute prawns (shrimp) to make tom kha goong, or meaty white fish. You could also leave the meat out and make it into a vegan soup, adding whichever vegetable you like or even fried tofu. If you want to have this as a main dish, you could add other ingredients such as noodles to make the soup more filling.

Ingredients

Aromatics

  • 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only with thick outer layer removed), bruised and cut into about 6 slices
  • 3 lime leaves, stalks removed and leaves thinly sliced
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, bruised and sliced into 7 pieces
  • 10 coriander (cilantro) stalks, finely chopped

Protein

  • 250g (9oz) skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces

Dairy

  • 400ml (1 ¾ cups) tinned (canned) thick coconut milk

Vegetables

  • 8 mushrooms, quartered (or halved)
  • 3 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped

Seasonings

  • 500ml (2 cups) water or Thai chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar (or to taste)
  • 70ml (¼ cup) Thai fish sauce*
  • 2 tbsp roasted Thai chilli oil with some of the goop at the bottom (preferably Thai, if shop-bought, but Chinese is fine), or Thai red curry paste to taste
  • 80ml (⅓ cup) lime juice

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare broth

  1. Pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over a high heat.
  2. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal and coriander (cilantro) stalks.
  3. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the aromatic ingredients to flavour the stock.

Stage 2 - Cook chicken

  1. Add the chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.
  2. Pour in the coconut milk and add sugar to taste.

Stage 3 - Add seasonings and vegetables

  1. Add the mushrooms, fish sauce and the chilli oil along with some of the goop at the bottom.
  2. Alternatively, add Thai red curry paste if preferred.
  3. Keep tasting as you go.

Stage 4 - Finish and serve

  1. Add the lime juice to taste and the chopped spring onions (scallions).
  2. Simmer for another minute or so.
  3. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

Notes

  • Many Thai fish sauces contain gluten but there are gluten-free brands available.

Serving

  • Serve hot as a starter or main.

Storage

  • Refrigerate leftovers in airtight container for up to 2 days.
  • Reheat gently; coconut milk may separate.

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