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Creamy Tom Kha Soup with Green Onion Garnish
Dominique

Authentic Tom Kha Soup

This recipe provides a simple yet authentic guide to making Tom Kha Soup, a fragrant Thai coconut chicken soup, perfect for a warming meal.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 bowls
Course: Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Thai
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup Base
  • 2 cups chicken stock unsalted, preferably homemade
  • 1.5 cups coconut milk (see note 1)
  • 0.5 teaspoon table salt
Main Ingredients
  • 1 lb chicken thigh boneless skinless, cut 1-inch pieces (see note 2)
  • 5.5 oz oyster mushrooms torn into bite-size pieces
Aromatics & Seasoning
  • 1 stalk lemongrass bottom half only, smashed and cut in 2-inch pieces
  • 12 slices galangal (see note 3)
  • 5 makrut lime leaves twisted to bruise and torn into big chunks
  • 1-3 Thai chilies to taste, smashed until broken or cut into large pieces
  • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar finely chopped, or granulated sugar
  • 2.5 tablespoon lime juice
For Serving & Garnish
  • chopped green onion and/or cilantro for garnish
  • Jasmine rice for serving, optional

Equipment

  • Pot
  • Spoon

Method
 

Cooking Steps
  1. Bring chicken stock to a boil, then add the salt and chicken thigh; simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender.
  2. Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, chilies, mushrooms, about half of the fish sauce, and sugar; simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors.
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more fish sauce as needed. Turn off the heat and stir in about 2 tablespoons of lime juice, then taste and add more if desired; top with chopped green onions and/or cilantro.
  4. Serve the soup with jasmine rice as part of a larger Thai meal, or enjoy it on its own. Remember that the herbs are for infusion only and are not meant to be eaten, so remove them or inform your guests.

Notes

The aromatic herbs like lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves are used for infusing flavor and should not be eaten. Remove them before serving or advise your guests accordingly. Adjust the amount of Thai chilies to your preferred level of spice. Refer to the original recipe for specific notes regarding ingredients (1, 2, 3).