This Thai soup is my FAVOURITE thing to order from our local Thai takeaway. A spicy soup, made with coconut milk, galangal (more on this later), lemongrass, shiitake mushrooms, chillies and chicken. I’m not kidding, it will blow your mind!
It makes a fantastic lunch or starter, or you can serve it with a bowl of boiled rice for dinner. Take a spoonful of rice and dunk it in the soup. Bliss!
There’s a fantastic Thai restaurant up the road from me – which is where I was introduced to Tom Kha Gai.
I wasn’t hugely hungry, so I just ordered some soup. One that I hadn’t tried before.
First taste and I was totally hooked. Now I order it every time!
I decided to figure out how to make it at home. But just for those days when I’m in a soup-making mood. I still love my local takeaway 😍
It’s a spicy Thai coconut soup with galangal and chicken.
Tom = soup, Kah = galangal, Gai = chicken
Tom Kha is a creamy-spicy soup, made with coconut milk, whereas Tom Yum is a non-creamy, hot and sour soup, often containing prawns (shrimp).
📋 What do we need?
- Galangal – this single most important ingredient in this recipe. You can use fresh, but I use galangal paste for simplity.
- Chicken – Use cooked, shredded chicken thighs to make this soup extra speedy.
- Coconut milk – Use full fat, NOT half-fat. Full-fat = creamier and won’t split when heated in the pan.
- Mushrooms – I’m using shiitake, but you can use your favourite mushrooms
- Lemongrass – you can use lemongrass paste, but I think fresh, sliced lemongrass makes a big difference to this dish
- Red Thai Curry Paste – to give it that lovely flavour and colour
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP Some people like to scoop out the lemongrass, but the light citrus tang and crunch of it in this soup works perfectly!
I love to finish with a few drops of chilli oil and a sprinkling of coriander (cilantro).
🍽️ What is galangal?
- Although it looks similar to ginger, and is from the same family, galangal is less spicy and more citrus-tasting than ginger.
- Ginger has darker skin and softer flesh.
- You can’t swap it out for ginger – especially in this soup. The ‘Kha’ in ‘Tom Kha Gai’ literally means galangal.
- Galangal is a lot tougher than ginger, which makes it difficult to slice, Be very careful if slicing!
- I prefer to use galangal paste, as I’m a bit clumsy.
🍲 More Thai-inspired recipes
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Tom Kha Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tsp galangal paste or a 2cm piece of galangal, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 lemon grass stalk tough outer leaves removed and inner stalk sliced finely (or 1 tsp lemongrass paste)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 red chillies sliced (I use milder fresno chillies, but you can replace with Thai chillies if you like it spicier)
- 10 shiitake mushrooms sliced in half
- 1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- 1 litre good quality chicken stock
- 400 ml (14 oz) can of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- juice of 1 lime about 2 tbsp
- 6 cooked chicken thigh fillets shredded
Optional – it you want to thicken the soup slightly:
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to form a paste/slurry
To Serve:
- small bunch fresh coriander roughly torn
- 2 tsp chilli oil for drizzling
- 1 lime sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.1 tbsp sunflower oil
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened.1 onion
- Add the garlic, galangal paste, lemongrass, lime leaves, chillies, mushrooms, and Thai curry paste. Cook for one minute, stirring often.3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp galangal paste, 1 lemon grass stalk, 4 kaffir lime leaves, 2 red chillies, 10 shiitake mushrooms, 1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and shredded chicken.1 litre good quality chicken stock, 400 ml (14 oz) can of coconut milk, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp light brown sugar, juice of 1 lime, 6 cooked chicken thigh fillets
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is fully heated through. If you would like to thicken the soup at all, slowly pour in the cornflour/water slurry, whilst stirring.1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to form a paste/slurry
- Taste the soup and season with a little salt and pepper if needed.
- Divide between bowls, then top with fresh coriander and drizzle with a little chilli oil. Top with slices of lime before serving.small bunch fresh coriander, 2 tsp chilli oil for drizzling, 1 lime
Video
Notes
Swap the chicken stock for good quality vegetable stock.
I would also add some extra mushrooms. Can I make it ahead? Yes, you can make the soup, then cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat in a pan, over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot. Nutritional information is per serving, based on this recipe serving 6 people.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Heya, what method do you use to cook the chicken thighs?
Wow!! This is so good. Really easy to throw together. I used fresh galangal, fresh lemongrass and fresh garlic. But if I had pastes and minced garlic this recipe would come together so fast. I added whole stewed tomatoes. I made it vegan with veggie stock and firm tofu. My husband went back for thirds. Definitely saving this.
Made this with ease due to simple instructions. When tasting it, I felt like I was in a restaurant. Everyone in my family loved this soup, as the aroma of spices caught their senses.
So aromatherapy c and ABSOLUTELY delicious. MAJOR BONUS is that ll of my kids love it as well…ages 9, 13, and 15.
I also add large stewed tomatoes to mine which add more texture.
The link to the Thai Curry Paste doesn’t work