Tom Kha Gai

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

Steps

  1. Bring chicken stock to a boil, then add the salt and chicken thigh. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. (Note: if using chicken breast, see note above).
  2. Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, chilies, mushrooms, about half of the fish sauce and all of the sugar. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes to infuse the herbs.
  3. Taste and add more fish sauce as needed. Turn off the heat and add about 2 tablespoon of the lime juice. Taste again and add more if needed. It should be a balanced salty, sour and creamy.
  4. 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 tell your guests not to eat them.)

Yield

4 servings

Total Time

40 minutes