Need a delicious and flavourful soup ready under 30 minutes, then this is the perfect choice for you! It is Rich and creamy, silky and aromatic, tangy and salty. Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) is a complete meal in itself. It is light but filing at the same time and bursting with fresh flavours! This is the best Tom Kha Gai recipe you’ll come across.
This authentic Thai soup is made with the classic combination of chicken and coconut. It gets its rich flavours from the classic Thai ingredients; galangal, lemongrass, coconut milk, fish sauce, Thai basil, chilli paste and kaffir lime. All these fresh and divine ingredients make the soup smell so heavenly.
This Thai Coconut Soup is truly comforting and comes together quickly. Obviously if you have it the next day it’s even better. This way the flavours have time to rest and meld within the rich and tangy broth. So don’t think twice before doubling the recipe and saving some for the next day.
Tom Kha Gai is healthy, comforting, creamy, sweet, salty, bright, tangy and aromatic!
Secret Ingredient for Tom Kha Gai
Want the soup to taste exactly as it would in Thailand? Simply add red curry paste to the soup for an authentic Thai taste. Using this secret ingredient also makes it easier to make this soup on a regular basis. If you are not able to get a hold of the galangal, use ginger instead and substitute lime for kaffir lime leaves.
Ingredients for Tom Kha Gai
The good thing about this delicious recipe is that all ingredients should be easily available at your grocery store. It doesn’t require too many weird ingredients.
Coconut milk – The base of the Thai coconut chicken soup is made with coconut milk. This is the ingredient that makes it different from other soups. The coconut milk gives the soup a rich and creamy texture. If coconut milk is not available you can use coconut cream instead.
Galangal – Galangal is known as Thai ginger. Galangal adds a significant taste to the soup. It is different from ginger, but if galangal isn’t available use ginger instead. Most of the time, vegetable shops don’t have galangal. So this is a hard ingredient to get a hold of!
Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves – These two ingredients add the most flavour to the soup which makes a world of a difference. Make sure you don’t miss them! Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves are authentic Thai ingredients which should be easily available.
Vegetables – I have mainly used carrots, beans, mushrooms and onions. Feel free to add your favourite vegetables to add more flavour and texture to the soup. Snow peas and broccoli are good options too.
Vegetable or Chicken Broth – To balance the creamy texture of the coconut milk in the soup, and to get a soupy consistency it is important to add vegetable or chicken broth. Vegetable and chicken broth are flavourful itself, thus enhancing the flavour of the soup.
The other ingredients used in the soup are lime juice, fish sauce, light soy sauce, red Thai curry paste and garlic.
Serve this chicken soup with the Asian Kale Salad or Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles to make it the perfect Thai cuisine meal!
Tom Kha Gai
Course: Non-Vegetarian, Side DishCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Easy6
servings5
minutes35
minutes40
minutesIngredients
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 onion sliced
1/2 cup mushroom sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
4 quarter inch slices galangal or ginger
4 cups chicken broth
juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 lemongrass stalk, pounded with a knife and cut into 2 inch long pieces
1 tbsp fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 tsp red Thai curry paste
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
salt according to taste
1 spoon sriracha
1/4 cup carrots sliced
1/4 cup green beans sliced
2 tsp light soy sauce
fresh cilantro chopped for garnish
1/2 can or 250 ml coconut milk or cream
2 medium chicken breast cut into bite size
Directions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, red Thai curry paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, onion, and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Add in the coconut milk, chicken pieces, mushrooms, beans and carrots. Strain out the galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and discard. Simmer until chicken is just cooked through, add the lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha, fish sauce and salt.
- Allow it to cook for 2-4 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
