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Tom Kha Gai Soup Recipe

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!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 142 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Asian , Thai

Ingredients

  • 2 cups coconut milk = 1 can
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 lemongrass stalk *see Notes
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves *see Notes
  • 1 ½ inch galangal aka Thai Ginger, *see Notes
  • 2 Teaspoon palm sugar or normal sugar
  • ½ Breast chicken boneless cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4-5 large mushrooms sliced
  • 1-3 chili peppers dried or fresh, Thai Chili preferably
  • 2 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • Juice of one lime
  • salt to taste
  • 1 medium tomato diced, optional
  • Cilantro Fresh aka fresh Coriander chopped

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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. In the meanwhile, prepare your rinsed lemongrass by removing the outer fibrous stalk layer and cutting the white, tender lemongrass stalk into thicker pieces.
  3. Lightly crush the lime leaves and peel and cut the Thai galangal into smaller strips.
  4. Place the lemongrass, lime leaves, the cut galangal pieces with the palm sugar into the slow simmering coconut milk.
  5. Let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes approximately so that the milk takes up the aroma.
  6. Then add the cut chicken with sliced mushroom pieces to the simmering coconut milk. 
  7.  Let it simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
  8. 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.
  9. Taste with salt if necessary.
  10. Just before serving, take out the whole spices and flavor givers. This includes the lemongrass pieces, the galangal pieces, and lime leaves.
  11. Stir in the fresh tomato pieces and the chopped cilantro.
  12. 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving 343g Calories 142kcal (7%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 5g (8%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g Trans Fat 0.003g Cholesterol 31mg (10%) Sodium 2159mg (90%) Potassium 458mg (13%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 410IU (8%) Vitamin C 10mg (11%) Calcium 93mg (9%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 142

% Daily Value*

Serving 343g
Calories 142kcal 7%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g 2%
Trans Fat 0.003g 0%
Cholesterol 31mg 10%
Sodium 2159mg 90%
Potassium 458mg 10%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 410IU 8%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 93mg 9%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.