Tom Kha Gai soup is a delicious coconut based soup with chicken, thai ginger and lemongrass as main ingredients. The aromatic soup will give you comfort and turn you into a new fan!
First, infuse the coconut milk by placing the milk into a pan with the broth. Simmer on a low-heat setting. High heat curdles the coconut milk, so keep it on a low heat at all time.
2 cups Coconut Milk, 4 cups Chicken Broth
In the meanwhile, prepare your rinsed lemongrass by removing the outer fibrous stalk layer and cutting the white, tender lemongrass stalk into thicker pieces.
1 Lemongrass Stalk
Lightly crush the lime leaves and peel and cut the Thai galangal into smaller strips.
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves, 1 ½ inch Galangal
Place the lemongrass, lime leaves, the cut galangal pieces with the palm sugar into the slow simmering coconut milk.
2 Teaspoon Palm Sugar
Let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes approximately so that the milk takes up the aroma.
Then add the cut chicken with sliced mushroom pieces to the simmering coconut milk.
½ breast Chicken Boneless, 4-5 large Mushrooms
Let it simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Once the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, add the chili pieces, fish sauce, and lime juice and cook for another minute or two on a low-heat setting.
1-3 Chili Peppers, 2 Tablespoon Fish Sauce, Juice of one Lime
Taste with salt if necessary.
Salt
Just before serving, take out the whole spices and flavor givers. This includes the lemongrass pieces, the galangal pieces, and lime leaves.
Stir in the fresh tomato pieces and the chopped cilantro.
1 medium Tomato, Cilantro Fresh
Serve hot!
Notes
2 cups coconut milk = 1 can
Try to get Kaffir Lime leaves or Kaffir lime fruit rind. Otherwise, substitute with regular untreated (no pesticides) lime leaves or lime fruit.
Use only the white bottom part of the lemongrass. The green leave is fibrous and not suited.
If you can't get galangal just leave it out of the soup. Don't use regular ginger, the soup would turn out differently and it wouldn't suit the flavors.
You can also get a set of fresh Thai ingredients which includes galangal, Thai chilies, kaffir limes and lemongrass.