Tom Kha Gai

Ah! My favourite soup on planet earth. I cannot get enough of it! This Thai coconut chicken soup is bursting with flavour & incorporates the sour, sweet, salty & spicy notes that are so typical of Thai food. At times, I cannot find fresh lemongrass but my local Asian store sells finely shredded frozen lemongrass which works just as well. Simply add 2 tbsp, which of course, is perfectly edible when shredded so finely.

However, it is important to note that if using fresh lemongrass stalk, it is not edible. Nor are the kaffir lime leaves & galangal. They should be removed from the soup before serving or let your guests know they should remove them as they come across them.

It is also interesting that, although galangal is part of the ginger family, they cannot be consider similar in taste. This dish cannot be made with ginger. The more subtle, unique flavour of galangal really makes the dish!

Note that this dish is very easily switched to a vegan version by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock & the chicken with extra mushrooms or another vegetable such as green beans or mangetout.

4 Servings

Ingredients:

600ml chicken stock

300gr chicken thigh meat, cut into bite sized cubes

1 stalk of lemongrass, smashed in several places to release the flavour

50gr galangal root, finely sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves, slightly crunched up to bruise & release the flavour

400ml coconut milk

2-3 Thai chillies (cut a slit down each chilli for extra heat)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

200gr mushrooms, sliced or quartered

Juice of 1-2 limes

Spring onion, finely sliced (optional, for serving)

Coriander, finely chopped (optional, for serving)

Instructions:

Bring chicken stock to a gentle simmer.

Add the chicken, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves & galangal.

Allow to simmer on low heat, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, chillies, fish sauce & sugar.

Bring to a simmer & add the mushrooms.

Simmer 10 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked.

Check the seasoning. If it is not salty enough you can add another teaspoon of fish sauce.

Add the lime juice, beginning with the juice of 1 lime, but adding up to another lime if the soup is not tangy enough. You can also leave it at the 1 lime & offer halved limes on the table for guests to add to their tastes.

Remove lemon grass, galangal & kaffir lime leaves or inform fellow diners that they should not be eaten.

Serve with a sprinkle of spring onion & coriander.