Tom Kha Gai (Coconut and galangal soup)

Nothing says Asia as much as coconut. Tom Kha Gai (Coconut and galangal soup) is a heavenly soup, mild but complex. The delicious white soup gets its taste from the three Thai soup ingredients lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal. Many recipes say that you can replace galangal with ginger. You absolutely can NOT do that. Although ginger and galangal are cousins, they do not taste the same. Galangal has a sharp citrusy, almost a foresty, while ginger is fresh, strong, spicy and barely sweet. The word Kha, in Tom Kha Gai, means galangal. If you have taken the trouble to acquire lemongrass and lime leaves, you should also buy galangal. They are usually sold in Asian grocery stores.

Tom Kha Gai is a favorite for anyone who loves authentic Thai food and it’s really easy to make at home. Its mildness makes it suitable for children as well as for adults. When I was little, we often ate Tom Kha Gai by filling small bowls of jasmine rice and pouring the soup on top. Everything became so mushy and good. Now we eat it with the soup in a bowl and rice on a plate. Then you can enjoy the soup as it is, pour a little on the rice if you feel like it, a little more free-form eating. However you choose to eat it make sure to take it easy and relax when you sip it. Sabai Sabai.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut and galangal soup)

Recipe by Just LagomCourse: MainCuisine: Thai

Servings

2

Servings

Ingredients

• 500g chicken thigh/breasts or chicken drumsticks

• 600ml of coconut milk

• 2 Thai chilies

• 1/2 bouillon cube

• 100g straw mushroom or champion mushroom

• 5 lime leaves

• 3 stalks of lemongrass

• 6 slices of galangal

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 lime

• Corriander (for garnish)

Instruktioner

• Prep the protein: If you are using chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite size pieces. We recommend to use chicken thigh because it is more juicy. If you use chicken drumsticks, you can skip this step
• Cut mushroom in half.
• On medium high heat, add in coconut milk in a pot. When it’s heating up, add half a bouillon cube, galangal and lemongrass. Tear the lime leaves before adding it into the pot.
• Add whole chilies. If you want the soup to be a bit more spicy, you can chop them and add into the soup. (However, the dish is not supoused to be spicy)
• Add chicken, wait until fully cooked. Then add mushroom.
• Season with fish sauce and salt.
• Turn off the heat, squeeze in the lime and stir.
• Serve in a bowl, garnish with corriander (optional)

Notes

• Tips* Always add lime juice when the heat is off to prevent it from becoming bitter.
• If you want the soup to be more salty, add in more salt rather than fish sauce, it will prevent the soup turning brown.