Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
I know, I know, its summertime and who wants to have soup in the summer but make an exception for this Tom Kha Gai Soup, you’ll thank me :)
I searched the inter web for AUTHENTIC recipes and im happy to say that I did find some, I just had to really look! After doing my research, I found that the soup isn’t hard to make but you must have the ingredients in order to make it as traditional as possible. I can’t claim authenticity but I tried my hardest to stick with the original flavors and also adding my little spin on things but nothing that will take away from the traditional soup.
A little background on Tom Kha Gai —’Tom’ means soup, ‘Kha’ means galangal and ‘gai’ means chicken. So Tom Kha Gai means Chicken galangal soup. Tom Kha Gai is a surprisingly simple soup to make with all of the Thai flavors - a base of creamy coconut milk infused with lime, savory fish sauce galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, then tender pieces of chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes are added to make this soup really hearty.
Try this easy to make and quick soup out and you won’t regret it!
Thanks to Hot Thai Kitchen, Thai Caliente , Eating Thai Food and Tasty Thais for your wonderful recipes!
The Ingredients:
Galangal: is one of the most important ingredients in any tom kha gai recipe. The kha in the name means galangal in Thai. It has an earthy spice flavor and it can be compared to ginger, but they’re actually very different in taste and texture—galangal has a sharp pine citrus like flavor, while ginger is fresh, pungently and barely sweet.
Galangal is included in many Thai curries and soups, and when used in small quantities, it provides a subtle kick of flavor. Also, Galangal is very tough while Ginger is easier to slice or crush. I thought crushing a galangal with my knife like I do my ginger would be the same but NOPE, I was wrong , haha!
anyways, try to find fresh galangal at your local Asian Market but if its hard to find, I did see many recipes that substituted ginger for the Galangal but If you want to stick to the traditional way, galangal is the way to go.
Oh BTW, DO NOT EAT THE GALANGAL, its only used for the aromatics, the taste isn’t very pleasant.
Lemongrass: A woody fragrant spice with hints citrus and lemon, the flavour is quite light and does not overpower other flavours in a dish. It also adds a slightly sharp and tangy taste without the bitterness of lemon. before you add it to the soup, you have to pound it to release the flavor and the aroma.
Makrut Lime Leaves: Another ingredient that has a, fresh, distinctly citrus flavor, The oil and the frangrance are used to add a citrus flavor to the soup. You can find this ingredients at your local market or Asian Market. Just like the lemongrass, in order to release the oils and the aroma, you have to pound it before adding it to the soup.
Chicken- This is the ‘Gai’ part of the recipe. For my recipe, I used bone-in chicken thighs. I added the bone to the soup base and then sliced the chicken thighs. I personally prefer chicken thighs because they are more forgiving, but you can use chicken breast.
Chicken Stock/: I used a combination of store bough unsalted chicken broth and then added the chicken bones to the broth. This is just how I did it but you can use only store bought or homemade, you don’t need to add the chicken bones to it.
Mushrooms- I used Crimini mushrooms, just sliced them then added to the soup at the end.
Thai Chili: Traditionally Tom Kha is served a very pale color but spicy from adding whole Thai Bird's eye chilis. I couldn’t get my hands on red Thai chilis, so I used green ones.
Fish Sauce: This gives the soup a salty and umami flavor. I used a lot of it in this soup but I encourage you to use as much or as little as your tastebuds desire.
Coconut Milk: The base of any tom kha gai is coconut milk , and you couldn’t make this Thai soup without it. Traditional recipes use fresh coconut milk so if you can get your hands on it, do it and if not, just use a can of full fat coconut milk.
Shallots: some recipes used onions, I went with shallots because it’s all I had—next time I make the soup, i’ll use onions and see how it differs in taste.
Palm Sugar: You can use regular sugar too but palm sugar makes the sweet flavor more mild and balances out the soup.
Tomatoes: not needed but I like different kinds of texture—some recipes included tomatoes and some didn’t.
Cilantro, lime, green onions: added at the end of the soup when serving.
Step By Step Details:
I first started but roasting the chilis, I got this idea from Tasty Thais. The only difference is that once I roasted the chilis I added them whole at the last few minutes of cooking—they crushed the chilis.
First take the galangal, I used about a thumb sized amount(with the stems removed)I pounded it and left it whole. Some recipes slice it but I figured since we’re not eating it and there’s no need to peel it, I just left it whole and crushed it.
Next, I sliced the outer part of a stalk of Lemongrass then Cut it into 2-3 inch pieces and pounded with back of knife to release aroma. Honestly the size of the lemongrass doesn’t matter because again. you’re not eating it, its used only for the flavor and aroma. Do the same thing with the lime leaves, pound them and place them aside along with he galangal and lemongrass.
On to the chicken— If youre going to use chicken thighs, remove them from the bone, slice into pieces, season with salt and pepper and don’t throw away the bones, use them for the stock.
To prepare the stock, turn on your stove to medium heat, add about 4 cups of stock, the chicken bones, the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves.
When it comes to a boil, add the chicken and the the shallots, place it on medium heat and let the chicken cooked halfway. ( about 5-6 minutes)Once the chicken is halfway cooked, slowly stir in the coconut milk, season with the fish sauce, add about 3 tbsp of the palm sugar, and salt (I added salt, most recipes do not call for salt so use it if you’d like to or don’t). Keep the heat on medium-low after your chicken is cooked. you don’t want the coconut milk to boil because it is so delicate and it can curdle.
After the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms, tomatoes ( if using) and Thai chilis. Taste the soup and add more fish sauce is needed. once its reached your desired taste, add cilantro, lime juice and green onions and serve.
enjoy it with rice or alone!
If you make this recipe , be sure to leave a comment! I love to hear from you guys and of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram
Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock, unsalted,
- 1 can coconut milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 chicken thigh, bone-in or boneless
- 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup galangal or 10-15 slices
- 8 makrut lime leaves, pounded
- 3-4 Thai chilies, roasted.
- 3-4Tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp finely chopped palm sugar, or granulated sugar
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms
- 2 firm tomato, quartered
- 2 ½ Tbsp lime juice
- chopped green onion and/or cilantro, for garnish
- Jasmine rice, for serving
Instructions
- Wash the chicken and remove the bone. Slice the meat into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Toast the chilis on a pan until you hear them pop, remove from the pan and place aside.
- In a pot, on medium heat, add the chicken stock along with the chicken bones, the crushed galangal, lime leaves and lemongrass.
- When it comes to a boil, add the chicken and the the shallots, let the chicken cook halfway( about 5-6 minutes). Once the chicken is halfway cooked, slowly stir in the coconut milk and season with the fish sauce, palm sugar, and salt then place the heat on medium- low.
- After the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms, tomatoes (if using) and Thai Chilis. Taste the soup and add more fish sauce is needed. once its reached your desired taste, add cilantro, lime juice and green onions to serve
- Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
699.14Fat (grams)
45.95Sat. Fat (grams)
27Carbs (grams)
44.63Fiber (grams)
4.1Net carbs
40.53Sugar (grams)
21.59Protein (grams)
31.18Sodium (milligrams)
1741.38Cholesterol (grams)
117.94
