This soup recipe is the definition of exotic for me. And also one of the recipes where you really need to stick to the specific ingredients. But if you got the ingredients, the rest is so easy. And the result is simply amazing.
Tom Kha Gai
Servings: 6
Cooking time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
- 600 g of chicken thigh or breast (the gai in the name)
- 1 chicken stock cube (would be great if you can make your own stock, but you know..)
- 1 coconut cream can
- 10 slices of galangal
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 4-6 lime leaves
- 2 chili peppers
- 150 g of oyster or shimeji mushrooms
- 1-3 tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tsp of palm sugar
- 1 lime (or less)
Directions
- In 2-3 cups of water add the chicken cube and the chicken meat to boil for 20 min. If you use more water, the soup will be less creamy. Use 2 cups if you want it creamier. If you use chicken thighs, the boiling lasts 20 min. Chicken breast is more difficult for the recipe, but you can use it as well, just boil it less. Add more salt to taste, depending on you chicken stock.
- Cut your galangal carefully. It is a very hard wood. And do not replace it with ginger, they are very different. Galangal has a fresh pine taste, lovely root!
- Cut the ends of your lemongrass, remove the first layer, hit it with the dull side of the knife to release the aroma and cut in smaller pieces.
- Break your lime leaves to also release the aroma.
- After the chicken is boiled, add the coconut cream and fish sauce to taste. Add this point add the sugar too.
- Add the aromatics: galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and spicy pepper.
- After 10 min max on small fire add the mushrooms as well for 1-2 min.
- Time to season with lime to taste.
- And this incredibly aromatic soup is ready. I prefer to leave the aromatics in, I just take them out when I eat. You can also boil them separately first in water and coconut cream, strain them and only after that cook the chicken.
Enjoy!
