Tom Kha Gai (also known as Thai Coconut Soup) is a delicious soup with coconut milk, chicken broth and a variety of vegetables and spices. 

Tom Kha Gai (also known as Thai Coconut Soup) is a delicious soup with coconut milk, chicken broth and a variety of vegetables and spices.

I’ve ordered Tom Kha Gai from several different Thai restaurants and have loved it every time. To make this nourishing soup at home you’ll need to seek out a few uncommon ingredients from your local Asian market. Don’t let that discourage you from making this dish. It’s well worth the effort, I promise!

If you love Thai soups I highly recommend you check the book, Thai Soup Secret by my friend Craig Fear!

The Thai people have a well kept secret. For hundreds of years, they’ve known about the healing power of their traditional soups. Over the course of several trips to Thailand, Nutritional Therapist Craig Fear, realized there were so many simple, delicious and healthy Thai soups that were unknown to most people in the West. He set about sampling, photographing, and collecting dozens of soup recipes that are easy re-create in western kitchens. The result is the Thai Soup Secret!

The Thai Soup Secret includes 40 recipes for medicinal broths, congees and authentic soups, all of which will help you progress towards a healthier life. Best of all, of the recipes are designed to be simple, without hours of preparation or long lists of hard to find ingredients.

Besides being geared towards health and wellness The Thai Soup Secret is also for anyone who just loves Thai food! If a trip to Thailand is not on your agenda anytime soon then this book will be your next best option for discovering the wonderful world of Thai soups!

You can buy it on Amazon here.

Tom Kha Gai Recipe

This recipe is from the book, The Thai Soup Secret by Craig Fear.

Ingredients

Serves 1-2

• 1-2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into ¼  inch slices
• 1 inch piece of fresh Thai galangal, cut into ⅛ – ¼ inch slices
• 8-10 kaffir lime leaves, ripped in half
• 2-3 cooked or raw chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1-3 Thai bird’s eye chiles, sliced into rings
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup oyster, shiitake or straw mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• Cooked jasmine rice for serving (optional)

Seasonings, to taste

• Fish sauce
• Fresh lime juice
• Coconut sugar
• Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• Scallions, finely chopped

Directions

1. Bring coconut milk and chicken broth to a gentle simmer. For a thicker consistency use less broth and more coconut milk and vice versa.
2. Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken. For cooked chicken, gently simmer for 1 minute to reheat. For raw chicken, gently simmer for 2 -3 minutes or until it’s cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Be sure not to boil the soup, as this will make the chicken overly tough.
4. Add the bird’s eye chiles, onion, tomato and mushrooms and simmer for 2 -3 more minutes. For a mild spice, use only one chile, for a medium spiciness use two and for a really good kick, use three. For zero kick, it’s OK to not use any chiles at all!
5. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and add seasonings, especially the lime juice and fish sauce (which add the salty and sour flavors), to taste.
6. Serve with a side of jasmine rice, optional.

Print