Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
serves: 6
Prep + cook time: 1 hour
calories: 624
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Half of one onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic chopped
Half of one jalapeno pepper sliced (I actually diced mine)
3 tbsp minced ginger
1 lemongrass stalk pounded with the side of a knife and cut into 2-inch long pieces
3 tsp red Thai curry paste*
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans coconut milk
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp sugar**
1 ½ – 2 tbsp fish sauce**
2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice**
Directions:
n a medium pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, lemongrass, and red curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
At this point, you can strain out the aromatics (the garlic, onions, lemongrass, and ginger) and discard, if you’d like. I leave the aromatics in and just don’t eat the lemongrass.
Add in coconut milk, chicken breast, and mushrooms. Simmer until chicken breast pieces are just cooked through (I simmered for 15 minutes), then add fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Taste and adjust the final 3 ingredients as necessary.
Cook 2 minutes, then ladle into serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro, if desired.
*The recipe I followed used 2 tsp of curry paste— I prefer a stronger flavor and upped it to 3 tsp. I could have gone stronger and will likely add some cayenne pepper in the future as we tend to like things with a little kick.
**These ingredients should be done “to taste.” Consider these measurements a guideline and adjust up or down, depending on your palate.