A tangy coconut soup infused with Thai aromatics: chilli, lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. Bite-size pieces of chicken thigh make it a satisfying meal and it’s ready in under 20 minutes for a quick weekend lunch or a midweek meal. Replace chicken with pork or seafood if you like.
Tom Kha Gai Soup
3 birdseye chillies, roughly chopped
600ml (20 fl oz) coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced
5cm (2 inches) piece galangal, sliced
3 makrut lime leaves, stems removed
300g (10.6 oz) chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
100g (3.5 oz) mushrooms
3 tbsp lime juice
2½ tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp white sugar
3 stalks coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped
- Use a mortar and pestle to lightly bruise the chillies. Set aside for later.
- Place coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Then add the chicken and mushrooms. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.
- Stir through the bruised chillies, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Taste and season with extra fish sauce or lime juice to taste. The flavour should be creamy and tangy.
- Just before serving, stir through the coriander.
