Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare your ingredients: slice 30 g fresh galangal into thin coins, bruise 40 g lemongrass stalks with the flat side of a chef knife and cut at an angle into 3 cm pieces, cut 400 g chicken breast into 1 cm wide bite-sized strips, and tear 200 g oyster mushrooms into strips. Set a wide soup pot on the stove.

2. 2

   Pour 800 ml full-fat coconut milk and 400 ml chicken stock into the wide pot over medium heat. Add the sliced galangal and bruised lemongrass. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 minutes until aromatic. Adjust heat to low if coconut milk boils rapidly so it does not split.

3. 3

   Add the sliced chicken breast directly to the gently simmering broth. Keep the heat on medium and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon so pieces do not stick together. The chicken strips should turn completely opaque white, cooked through, and tender. If liquid reduces too fast, add 50 ml of warm water.

4. 4

   Stir the torn oyster mushrooms into the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 4 minutes until the mushrooms absorb the broth and become tender. Keep a gentle bubble going without bringing it to a hard boil, stirring occasionally to distribute heat evenly and prevent the coconut milk from curdling on the bottom of the pot.

5. 5

   Remove the pot from the heat completely. Stir in 45 ml fish sauce and 30 ml fresh lime juice. Taste the broth carefully: it should balance salty, sour, and creamy flavors. If it needs more saltiness, add another teaspoon of fish sauce; if too rich, add an extra squeeze of lime juice.

6. 6

   Ladle the hot soup into deep serving bowls, leaving the woody lemongrass stalks and hard galangal slices behind in the pot or skimming them out. The soup should look creamy white with floating mushrooms and chicken pieces. Serve piping hot immediately, optionally garnished with fresh cilantro leaves or chili slices.

Serve with

Drink

Spanish Iced Chamomile and Citrus Tea

Spanish · 25 min