A traditional and tasty Thai soup, this is my favorite comparison point between Thai restaurants and an excellent twist on chicken soup for cold winter days. I'm a huge fan of coconut, chicken soup, and creamy soups in general, so it's a winner for me.
Of course, making it at home means I can customize it to my preferences. It's surprisingly easy to make! This recipe is loosely adapted from David Johnson's Thai Food, a brick-sized comprehensive guide to Thai cooking.
Note that you can make a pescatarian version (fish stock, shrimp instead of chicken) or even vegetarian or vegan (veg stock, tofu for chicken, soy sauce for fish sauce) though the latter will lack some of the pungency that only comes with fish sauce.
Of course, making it at home means I can customize it to my preferences. It's surprisingly easy to make! This recipe is loosely adapted from David Johnson's Thai Food, a brick-sized comprehensive guide to Thai cooking.
Note that you can make a pescatarian version (fish stock, shrimp instead of chicken) or even vegetarian or vegan (veg stock, tofu for chicken, soy sauce for fish sauce) though the latter will lack some of the pungency that only comes with fish sauce.
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Signing UpStep 1: Tools and Ingredients
This recipe scales beautifully - just multiply the ingredients below. I've included substitutions for ingredients you may not have easily at hand, but a trip by an asian grocery will turn up everything on this list handily. I buy lots of lemongrass and galanga ahead, then chop and freeze in pre-sorted ziplok bags for future use. They keep quite well. You can also do this with the shallots, coriander root, and kaffir lime leaves.
Broth:
1 can coconut milk
2-3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, then the stuff in cartons; boullion cubes are a last resort.)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon palm sugar (I usually substitute brown sugar)
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, washed and choppped in chunks (dried lemongrass is far inferior - punch it up with extra lime juice and zest at the end if you're forced to go this route)
3 red shallots, peeled and chunked (I often substitute 3 smashed cloves of garlic plus a bit of onion)
2 coriander roots, scraped (I usually substitute a pinch of whole coriander seed plus a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves)
2 chili peppers, halved (pick your favorite type, and modify number to suit your spice taste)
1.5 inch chunk of galanga root, chunked (ginger is in the same family, but tastes totally different - galanga TOTALLY makes the flavor of this dish. If you can't get this locally, travel to a nearby city and visit the asian markets or scour the internets, buy a pound, then freeze what you can't use now. It's a floral flavor that you'll definitely recognize if you've had tom kha gai before.)
3 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely chopped (I have a kaffir lime tree in my yard, but you can substitute lime zest if necessary. It just won't be as fragrant and complex.)
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional, and kind of a cheat, but often good.)
Chunks:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut to 1" pieces (you can use breasts, but the thighs are moister and tastier)
1 cup chopped mushrooms (your choice - mix it up)
1-3 Tablespoons fish sauce (This stuff is pungent - if you're not familiar, add incrementally and taste before increasing. But don't be turned off by the smell. Definitely use some, as it's a key flavor that softens when you add it to the soup.)
1 can baby corn, drained and chopped to 1/2" chunks (optional)
Finish:
1 Tablespoon lime juice (more if compensating - see notes above)
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved, or 2 plum tomatoes coarsely chopped (optional)
Tools:
1 large pot, at least 3 qt
knife
cutting board
Broth:
1 can coconut milk
2-3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, then the stuff in cartons; boullion cubes are a last resort.)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon palm sugar (I usually substitute brown sugar)
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, washed and choppped in chunks (dried lemongrass is far inferior - punch it up with extra lime juice and zest at the end if you're forced to go this route)
3 red shallots, peeled and chunked (I often substitute 3 smashed cloves of garlic plus a bit of onion)
2 coriander roots, scraped (I usually substitute a pinch of whole coriander seed plus a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves)
2 chili peppers, halved (pick your favorite type, and modify number to suit your spice taste)
1.5 inch chunk of galanga root, chunked (ginger is in the same family, but tastes totally different - galanga TOTALLY makes the flavor of this dish. If you can't get this locally, travel to a nearby city and visit the asian markets or scour the internets, buy a pound, then freeze what you can't use now. It's a floral flavor that you'll definitely recognize if you've had tom kha gai before.)
3 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely chopped (I have a kaffir lime tree in my yard, but you can substitute lime zest if necessary. It just won't be as fragrant and complex.)
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional, and kind of a cheat, but often good.)
Chunks:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut to 1" pieces (you can use breasts, but the thighs are moister and tastier)
1 cup chopped mushrooms (your choice - mix it up)
1-3 Tablespoons fish sauce (This stuff is pungent - if you're not familiar, add incrementally and taste before increasing. But don't be turned off by the smell. Definitely use some, as it's a key flavor that softens when you add it to the soup.)
1 can baby corn, drained and chopped to 1/2" chunks (optional)
Finish:
1 Tablespoon lime juice (more if compensating - see notes above)
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved, or 2 plum tomatoes coarsely chopped (optional)
Tools:
1 large pot, at least 3 qt
knife
cutting board
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Thanks for sharing this.
If you try, please let me know how it turns out! There's no real texture to change with freezing, so my concern would be losing some of the volatile molecules that make it smell/taste particularly good. This could be probably be remedied by adding a bit of galanga/lime/lemongrass upon reheating to punch it up.
Lol. =:P
I agree, this soup is a great way to test Thai restaurants. It's my favorite, and if they get it wrong I'm unlikely to enjoy their curries either.
One thing I did that made the stock step a bit easier was to put all of the 'non-edibles' into a sachet. That made separation of the galanga, lemongrass and lime leaves possible while keeping the serranos, garlic and shallots in the soup for added texture.
Thanks so much for posting this... I'm a hero in my kitchen now, thanks to this (it's my girlfriend's favorite soup).
I'm too lazy to tie up the non-edibles, but it's an excellent idea for the more organized/motivated cook. :)
Let me know how it turns out! I'm having the rest of the leftovers for lunch.
You may be interested in this comparison of fish sauces.
its not Thai, it's Vietnamese, but I used it and found it to be perfectly good.
I made this as a demonstration in my foods class and only one snoody dumbass didn't like it heh.
I would definitely leave out Step 3 though. Actually, the more "inedibles" (galangal, lemongrass, kaffir leaves) in the soup the better, in my opinion. I've been known to stop frequenting a thai restaurant after finding out their tom kha gai was just some watery coconut broth with a few slices of mushroom and a fleck of cilantro - ugh!
In fact, I love chewing on some of those inedible to get that last burst of flavor out of them. Fresh galangal is quite edible if sliced finely enough, just like its better known relative: ginger. Not quite as intense, but just as jummy. Lemongrass will leave you with a wad of fiber in your mouth though, but it's well worth it for the flavor.
Then again, I do like playing with my food... :-D
Please do! And let me knw how this ones turns out.
Beautiful food porn, too! :D
We just got a dSLR, so even better pictures should start showing up soon.