Thailand Recipes - Tom kha kai (ต้มข่าไก่) – The soup for the soul in Bangkok

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes. Tom Kha Kai (you pronounce Tom Kha Gai).
It is a chicken galangal (Thai ginger) soup with coconut milk. It is a spicy (pet) and sour (bpriao) soup that will make your soul smile for sure. It combines strong flavors with a fresh twist from the galangal (kha) and fresh herbs.
It is very popular in Thailand and also Laos.

The recipe is very simple and easy. The good quality ingredients are the ones creating the magic in the end.
Ready for a cooking lesson? Here we go. My dear Dao gave me this recipe.

Ingredients:
6 cups coconut milk
400 grams chicken breasts
3 stocks fresh lemongrass
a piece thumb size of galangal
6 to 10 kaffir lime leaves
5 to 10 Thai chilies
couple limes
200 grams mushrooms (oyster mushrooms are the best for this recipe)
2 small tomatoes
1 big white onion
1 bunch of cilantro
Salt

The first step is to chop everything. So, cut you galangal in slices. This can be a tough task because it is hard, but be careful and don’t lose your faith. Then slice off the bottom of your lemongrass and take of the first leave and then slice them diagonally.

Time for the stove! Medium heat and start heating 3 cups of coconut milk. If you are using coconut milk in a can, you need to dissolve it in water, because it is more thick and buttery that the fresh one. So go for one can of coconut milk mixed with one can of water.
Then just toss the galangal and lemongrass and leave it creating the most amazing fragrant aroma and flavor.

Chicken here we go! Cut the chicken into medium size pieces.
Just before the coconut milk starts boiling add the chicken, give it a quick stir and add the other 3 cups of coconut milk. Don’t forget to turn the heat to medium-low.

Things are getting hotter! Grab a handful of Thai chilies (please be careful if you are not very friendly with spicy, just use plastic gloves) and slice them diagonally and add them to the soup. Show some love and stir a bit and then add the mushrooms. The coconut milk should not be boiling yet, but it is already pretty hot and can look a bit foamy.
Don’t worry…it is getting there! Stir the soup about one minute and then prepare yourself to cry.

Chop chop onion! Peel the onions and then cut them in half, then into big wedges and immediately toss them into the soup.
One trick for the coconut milk, you need to stir it gently, and in only one direction, this will help to prevent the coconut milk to curdle.

Get some tomatoes! Cut them in half and then into wedges. Keep the skin, please. Toss them into the soup and stir gently.

Time for the kaffir lime leaves, tear them with your hands and add them to the soup. Cook for another few minutes is always stirring the soup until the chicken and mushrooms are fully cooked.

Let’s share some salt! About half of a teaspoon of salt and if you need it, you can always add more.
Stir a bit more, always gently and turn off the heat.

It is time to add fresh flavors! Grab the cilantro and slice them medium fine. Into the soup with a gentle stir.

Margarita time! Slice a couple of limes, (add one more for the margarita) juice them into a bowl and add them to the soup. Start with one or two spoons and taste it. Adding the cilantro and the lime when the heat is off it prevents the bitter taste in the soup.

Habemos Tom Kha Kai!
Get a bowl and serve the soup. Grab your bowl of rice (white rice with no salt) and… dig in!!
In Thailand, we eat this soup as a curry, always with rice on the side. If you are not a fan of spicy food when ordering the dish just say “Mai pet” (no spicy). But repeat several times. To guarantee that you can eat it without spit fire after.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and please share your Tom Kha Kai and your thoughts.

“Cooking with love provides food to the soul.”

Special Thanks: To my amazing husband that is my personal photographer @peugenio. I am too excited about the food to handle a camera.