We don't have many breakfast-specific dishes in Thailand, but of the few we do have, kao tom (aka khao tom) is an absolute classic. You can think of kao tom as the Thai sister of congee. Instead of being porridge-like with the rice grains broken down, it's more of a brothy soup with the rice still in whole grains. It's one of the most comforting dishes Thailand has to offer, and a staple in Thai breakfast buffets in hotels.
At the basic level it's simply jasmine rice added to a flavourful broth. The components can be prepped ahead, and then comes morning time it takes just a few minutes to come together!
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All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Ingredients and Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and some important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.
- Pork stock or chicken stock, unsalted. In Thailand this would most likely be pork stock, so use that if you want to recreate the exact Thai version, but chicken stock would also be just fine. For the right flavour, homemade Thai style stock is best. Here are my recipes for Thai style pork stock and chicken stock.
- Garlic
- White peppercorns
- Cilantro stems or cilantro roots
- Shrimp, cut into small chunks, plus a few extra whole ones for garnish if you so desire.
- Fish sauce, see my post on choosing good fish sauce here.
- Soy sauce
- Cooked jasmine rice, if you have had trouble cooking jasmine rice, see my post here on how to cook perfect rice without a rice cooker. Having said that, this recipe would work perfectly with rice that you might have accidentally overcooked or under cooked, it's a great way to use it up!
Optional Condiments
- Fried garlic & garlic oil, this is made simply by frying garlic in oil. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and it keeps well so you just have to make it once. I always keep a stash in my fridge as we use it to finish all kinds of dishes, especially noodle soups. See my fried garlic recipe here. *You can buy fried garlic from Asian stores, but you won't get the garlic oil which is arguably the more flavourful part!
- Green onion and/or cilantro, for some greenery 🙂
- Chinese preserved cabbage (optional), this is called tang chai in Thai and it is salty, crunchy bits of preserved (salted) cabbage. It is okay to omit this as it's hard to find, it just adds salty bits to the soup which is nice.
- Extra ground white pepper, to taste.
How to Make Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Kao Tom Goong)
Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.
- Pound white peppercorns until fine, then add garlic and cilantro stem/roots and pound until fine.
- Add half of the garlic mixture to the small pieces of shrimp and mix well.
- Saute the small pieces of shrimp in a pan with a little bit of oil just until it's cooked through.
- If you're not using a nonstick pan and there is some bits of herbs stuck to the pan, deglaze the pan with a splash of stock to release the tasty bits of herbs. Then remove from pan and set aside.
- If using whole garnish shrimp, sear the whole shrimp over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, set aside.
- Bring the stock to a boil in a pot, add the other half of the garlic paste and simmer for one minute. Then season the broth with fish sauce and soy sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil then add the rice and the shrimp. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and immediately turn off the heat (if you let this simmer for a long time the rice will swell up and absorb too much stock).
- Serve immediately, if you let this sit, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. Ladle into a bowl, and top with all the condiments as desired. Enjoy!
Advance Prep Tip
If you're not an early bird and need breakfast to be quick, it's totally doable! Once components are prepped, it takes just minutes to get it on the table. You can even prepare it for the week. Here's what to do:
Up to a week ahead, cook the rice, the broth, the shrimp, and the fried garlic and keep them in the fridge (in separate containers). Comes time to eat, bring the broth to a boil, and while you wait you can chop up the cilantro/green onions and set the table.
Once the broth boils, add the rice and the shrimp and let it heat up thoroughly for a few minutes, et voila! Gourmet Thai breakfast in minutes!
Recipe Card
Print
Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Khao Tom Goong)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
A classic Thai breakfast is khao tom, or rice soup. Comforting and satisfying, it's the perfect way to start the day. Once components are prepped in advance, the soup comes together in just a few minutes. This version uses shrimp, but chicken can be used instead.
Ingredients
- 3 cups pork stock or chicken stock, unsalted (homemade is best, here's a recipe!)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
- 6 cilantro stems or 2 cilantro roots
- ~150g shrimp, cut into small chunks, plus a few extra whole ones for garnish if you so desire
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice (this amount is flexible depending on whether you like thick or brothy soup)
Optional Condiments
- Fried garlic & garlic oil
- Green onion and/or cilantro, chopped
- Chinese preserved cabbage (tang chai)
- Extra ground white pepper if needed
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Instructions
- Pound white peppercorns until fine, then add garlic and cilantro stem/roots and pound until fine. Add half of this paste to your small pieces of shrimp and mix well.
- Saute the small pieces of shrimp in a pan with a little bit of oil just until it's cooked through. Deglaze the pan with some stock as needed and scrape any bits of herb stuck to the bottom. Remove from pan and set aside.
- If using whole garnish shrimp, sear the whole shrimp over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, set aside.
- Bring the stock to a boil in a pot, add the other half of the herb paste and simmer for one minute.
- Season with fish sauce and soy sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil over high heat then add the rice and the shrimp. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and immediately turn off the heat (if you let this simmer for a long time the rice will swell up and absorb too much stock).
- Serve immediately, if you let this sit, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. Ladle into a bowl, and top with all the condiments as desired. Enjoy!
Danny M says
I'm DYING to make this - it looks soooo good - but when you said the tang chai would be hard to find, you weren't joking. THe local Asian grocers are all trying to sell me Kprean Kim Chi and I know that's not it (though I DO buy it because I love it). The only thing I can find that sounds exactly as you describe is Cai Bap Thao - am I getting warm, is this close enough?
I'd appreciate your help!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I am not sure what cai bap thao is so I don't want to steer you wrong, but it is totally okay for you to make it without. As stated in the recipe the condiments are optional, and I often make it without tang chai and it's totally fine! Tang chai adds salty, crunchy bits, but it's not necessary by any means 🙂
Eric says
I love khao tom moo. Just had a bowl for breakfast, seasoned with a bit of vinegar and dried red chilies. So simple to make and can be found anywhere, anytime in Thailand!
Isabella says
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately I didn't have cilantro (week of Christmas being too busy to grocery shop) but with green onions, ginger and garlic on hand I was able to follow the recipe almost identically minus the one ingredient. I added some frozen veggies to it that I cooked with the shrimp, some baby corn, edamame, carrot and peppers. Altogether it was a quick and tasty recipe. The broth was delicious and the leftovers the next day were almost better then when cooked fresh.
Definitely something I'll be making again for my husband (he was a huge fan).
futileresistance says
A simple and soothing dish. Great for when you are feeling under the weather - although that's not the only time you should make it
Thorsten says
You forgot ginger!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Ginger is common in jok (congee) but not in kao tom.
Jeem Peterson says
You are great (don't let it go to your head), I have followed your skill and craft for many a Sangkran. I travel to Thailand just to cook, and love it (just got back from Chiangmai is wonderful, and Bangkok is full of smog. Put me on your cook book list as soon as it is ready to come out and I will have a happy smile.
Wai to ya 555
Jeem
Nadine says
love it, very much reminds me of my Thailand holidays!
Mary Murrain says
I had this (but for dinner). Simple to make and simply delicious and fulfilling.
Aarin Pongpipat says
Thank you for this simple recipe! I crave this often. I used to be able to have it shipped to me from Thailand (the instant packets), but for years now the US has stopped allowing it into the country. I don't know why. Question: some ingredients seem to be missing from the way I usually eat it. Perhaps the way I eat it isn't authentic? Anyway, I typically put chili garlic sauce, cilantro, Thai chilies in vinegar, a little sugar, fish sauce, lots of fresh ginger, and a soft-boiled egg. Am I thinking of a different recipe?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Thank you! From what you describe it sounds like you're thinking about "jok" or congee, which is a different kind of rice porridge that's usually served with ginger and soft boiled eggs. I have a recipe for that too!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Dried chili flakes would be good!
Lex Starwalker says
I LOVE this soup! Such a delicious dish and so easy to make. The recipe is very easy to follow.
I wanted to point out that the "jump to video" link doesn't work. The video isn't imbedded on this page (I'm not sure if it's supposed to be or not, but it would be nice if it were). Also, when you click the "jump to video" link, the link it takes you to on this page just goes to your YouTube channel, it doesn't go to the actual video. It would be really nice if you added a link to the specific video.
Adam from HTK says
Hi Lex! Adam here, and glad you liked it! 🙂 I just tried this and the "Jump to video" link works for me and takes me to the imbedded video inside the post - or at least it did this time. This version of the video isn't on YouTube BTW but on AdThrive, so not sure how you ended up on YouTube. I'm going to keep looking into this though, and sorry for the trouble! 🙂 Have a great day! Adam
Lex Starwalker says
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your reply. I'm still not seeing any video. I've tried on PC and Android. I'm using the Brave browser, which is built on Chromium if that helps you at all..
Adam from HTK says
Hi Lex! ... and sorry to hear that - very weird! Can you send me an email at adam@hotthaikitchen.com - I want to send you some screenshots to see if we can figure out what's happening. Cheers! Adam
Lex Starwalker says
Will do! Email sent. 🙂
Jonathan says
I missed this dish from my business trios to Thailand as I always have this for breakfast... Made kao tom gai version for dinner... and my family loved it (twice)!!! The paste is a little more challenging if you don't have the mortar and pastle... gotta chop the ingredients finely and squash the last bit of it. Also need to reduce the rice portion compared to usual cooked rice... as it does puff up a little and can be a bit too much...
Lyn says
Made it, love it.
Family wants more!