Tom kha gai
A creamy Thai coconut soup with chicken, galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves. It is mildly sour, gently spicy, and rich.
Flickr preppybyday 4711943668--Tom kha gai: Evan Joshua Swigart (TheCulinaryGeek) from Chicago, Illinois, USA; hometown of Ames, Iowa, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Where it comes from
This soup comes from the culinary tradition of central Thailand, where coconut milk softens the sourness of lime and the heat of chilies. Kha means galangal, the key ingredient.
Explore the cuisine of Thailand.
Recipe
Make Tom kha gai at home
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cans (13 oz each) coconut milk
- 1 lb chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced
- 5 slices galangal
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 5 kaffir lime leaves
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 3 Thai chilies
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- Cilantro
How it's made
- Combine stock, 1 can coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves; simmer 10 minutes.
- Add chicken and mushrooms and cook 6-8 minutes until chicken is done.
- Pour in the remaining coconut milk and warm through without a hard boil.
- Season with fish sauce, sugar, and chilies.
- Turn off the heat and add lime juice.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.
Variations
- Tom kha het: mushroom version
- Tom kha goong: with shrimp
- Spicy version with chili paste (nam prik pao)
Cook’s tip: Keep the simmer gentle so the coconut milk does not split.
Related dishes
Tom yumSoups · Thailand
Green curryMain dishes · Thailand
Massaman curryMain dishes · Thailand
Khao soiSoups · Thailand
About this page
Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.
Photo credit
- Flickr preppybyday 4711943668--Tom kha gai: Evan Joshua Swigart (TheCulinaryGeek) from Chicago, Illinois, USA; hometown of Ames, Iowa, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)