Authentic Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup)
Comforting Thai chicken soup enriched with coconut milk and infused with lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock, unsalted, preferably homemade
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk, (see note 1)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 lb chicken thigh, boneless skinless, cut 1-inch pieces (see note 2)
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed and cut in 2-inch pieces
- 12 thin slices galangal, (see note 3)
- 5 makrut lime leaves, twisted to bruise and torn into big chunks
- 1-3 Thai chilies, to taste, smashed until broken or cut into large pieces
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped palm sugar, or granulated sugar
- 5.5 oz oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 ½ tablespoon lime juice
- chopped green onion and/or cilantro, for garnish
- Jasmine rice, for serving, optional
Notes
- For a lighter soup, you can add reduce the coconut milk by about ½ cup and increase the chicken stock by the same amount.
- If using chicken breast, cut into ½-inch thick slices and marinate in 1 tablespoon of fish sauce while you're prepping. Skip step #1 as chicken breast does not need to be simmered and is best cooked only briefly, and omit the salt. Reduce the chicken stock to 1 ½ cups and add it at step #2. Add the chicken breast to the soup at the end along with the mushrooms in step #3 and cook for a couple of minutes just until the chicken is done. Be sure to taste and adjust the salt at the end!
- The lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves are meant for infusion only and not meant to be eaten. Please inform your guests or remove them before serving.
Instructions
- Bring chicken stock to a boil, then add the salt and chicken thigh. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.2 cups chicken stock, ½ teaspoon table salt, 1 lb chicken thigh
- Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, chilies, mushrooms, about half of the fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.1 ½ cups coconut milk, 1 stalk lemongrass, 12 thin slices galangal, 5 makrut lime leaves, 1-3 Thai chilies, 2 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon finely chopped palm sugar, 5.5 oz oyster mushrooms
- Taste and add more fish sauce as needed. Turn off the heat and add about 2 tablespoon of the lime juice, then taste and add more as needed. Top with green onions and/or cilantro.2 ½ tablespoon lime juice, chopped green onion and/or cilantro
- Serve with jasmine rice as part of a larger Thai meal, or enjoy on its own. See this video about how to eat a Thai meal for how Thai people serve soup! (Note: the herbs are for infusion only and are not meant to be eaten. Either remove them before serving or inform your guests.)Jasmine rice
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