Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)

Photo: Julia S. from USA · CC BY 2.0 · source

A creamy coconut broth that's sour, salty and fragrant with lemongrass, ginger and lime, full of tender chicken and mushrooms. Rich but bright, it's an easy soup to crave.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
• 3 cans coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 10 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp lemongrass paste
• 3-inch piece ginger (or galangal), thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1 jalapeño or 2 Thai chiles, sliced
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• ½ small onion, sliced

From your pantry: 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt.

Instructions

1. Bring the broth, lemongrass, ginger and onion to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat and cook 5 minutes to flavor it.
2. Add the coconut milk and bring back to a gentle simmer. Don't let it boil hard, or the coconut milk can split.
3. Add the chicken and mushrooms and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through (165°F), 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chiles. Taste. It should be tangy, salty and a little sweet, so adjust with more lime or fish sauce.
5. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro. Tell everyone to eat around the ginger slices.

Tip: Season it off the heat and taste as you go. Lime juice turns bitter if boiled, and each brand of fish sauce is a different saltiness.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

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