Tom kha gai (chicken in coconut-galangal soup)
Tom kha gai (ต้มข่าไก่): chicken, mushrooms, galangal and lemongrass in a sour-salty coconut broth
Central Thai home cooks make tom kha as one of the dishes at a shared dinner, spooned over rice rather than drunk as a starter, and Bangkok restaurants serve it in a bubbling fire pot. Galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf are simmered in coconut milk with chicken and mushrooms, then seasoned at the end with fish sauce and lime, so the soup is creamy, sour, salty and only gently hot. For a vegetarian version (tom kha het), use 400 g mixed mushrooms and firm tofu, vegetable stock and light soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Chef's tip: add the lime juice off the heat; boiling lime turns bitter and dulls the whole pot.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 1 ⅜ oz galangalthinly sliced
- 2 lemongrassstalks, bruised and cut into 4 cm lengths
- 5 kaffir lime leavestorn
- 14 oz boneless chicken thighsskinless, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 5 ½ oz oyster mushroomstorn
- 2 ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 bird's-eye chilliesbruised
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 handful coriander leaves
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pour 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and 1 ¼ cups chicken stock into a pot with 1 ⅜ oz galangal, 2 lemongrass and 5 kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes so the broth smells strongly of galangal.
7 minStep 2: Add 14 oz boneless chicken thighs and simmer gently, without boiling hard, for 8 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Add 5 ½ oz oyster mushrooms and simmer for 3–4 minutes, until they are soft and the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest piece, with no pink inside.
4 minStep 4: Season with 2 ½ tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar and add 3 bird's-eye chillies. Take the pot off the heat.
Step 5: Stir in 3 tbsp lime juice, taste and add more lime or fish sauce until it is sour and salty in balance. Scatter with 1 handful coriander leaves and serve with rice. The galangal and lemongrass are for flavour, not for eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tom kha gai (chicken in coconut-galangal soup) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of chicken stock?
- Vegetable stock, same amount.
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