Tom Kha Gai

Tom Kha Gai, also called thai coconut soup, was one of my favorite meals in Thailand! I’ve been trying to perfect replicate it ever since I got back and I think I finally nailed it.

My two greatest passions are cooking and traveling, so it shouldn't be surprising that one of my favorite things I did in Thailand was take a Thai cooking class. It was one of the first things we did upon arriving in Bangkok and it was such a wonderful introduction to Thai culture and authentic Thai cooking. It was an idyllic, intimate setting perfect for immersing yourself in a different way of life. Our teacher was a wealth of knowledge and also made sure we didn't leave hungry! We made five different dishes, including grinding our own curry paste with a giant mortar and pestle (talk about an arm workout), and also learned about standard Thai ingredients and how to replicate them at home. 

Sometimes cooking different cuisines can be intimidating due to different ingredients that we don't typically use, so I've made sure to include alternatives that you can find at your local grocery store. However, if you have an Asian market nearby, I highly recommend getting the authentic ingredients!

Common Thai Ingredients:

• Kaffir lime leaf — you can find at most Asian grocery stores and you can also get them frozen. You can use lime juice instead if you can’t find them.
• Galangal root — in the same family as ginger (and looks very similar) but is a different flavor. You can use regular ginger root instead but try to find galangal if you can!
• Lemongrass — lot of grocery stores carry fresh lemongrass (I get it at Harris Teeter), but if you can't find it you can use lemongrass paste instead.
• Thai bird chilies — you can find these at a lot of regular grocery stores and always at an Asian grocery. You can use chili paste/chili oil instead.

Thai bird chilies (the red and green ones on the right side of the picture) are delicious but pretty dang spicy. If you’re a wimp like me, 1-3 chilies is plenty spicy. But my boyfriend prefers like 6-7 chilies. So use that information however you like.

Unrelated, but Thailand is cool as hell so feel free to hit me up for travel recommendations (like humane elephant sanctuaries).

Prep the ingredients

Galangal root and ginger: there's no need to peel either, simply slice both into thick ¼ inch disks.

Lemongrass: cut the stalks in thirds and remove the tough outer layers.

Kaffir lime leaves: tear into large pieces (about 1 inch).

Thai bird chilies: leaving the stem intact, slice in half (remove the seeds if you want less spice).

Make Tom Kha Gai

Sauté the minced shallot and garlic in coconut oil until fragrant. Add in the diced chicken breast and sear lightly on each side.

Add in the vegetable stock, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, giner, galangal root, Thai chilies, mushrooms, and salt and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. 

Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut sugar, and tomato and simmer on low for 5 minutes. 

Serve with chili oil, lime wedges, and cilantro. Note: You can use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chunks of lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and lime leaves but traditionally you just leave everything in and eat around it.

Make this soup vegan by swapping out the chicken for crispy tofu and using vegan fish sauce!

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