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Creamy Tom Kha Gai
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Ingredients
0 of 16 gathered
Step by step
Method
5 steps
- 1
In a medium pot, bring one 13.5 oz can coconut milk and 2 cups chicken broth to a gentle boil over medium heat — small bubbles around the edge, not a rolling boil. Add a 2-inch piece of fresh galangal thinly sliced (or 2 tablespoons minced ginger), optional extra 1 tablespoon minced ginger, and 1–3 smashed Thai chiles. Simmer medium heat 10 minutes so the broth smells citrusy and spicy.
- 2
Add 12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast thinly sliced. Cook, stirring now and then, until the slices turn opaque and are just cooked through, 5–7 minutes — they should feel tender, not tight and rubbery.
- 3
Stir in 1 cup straw or button mushrooms (drain if canned), optional smashed lemongrass pieces, torn kaffir lime leaves, and optional tomato chunks. Simmer 8–10 minutes more until the mushrooms are soft and the tomato just starts to break down. Add another chile if you want more heat.
- 4
Turn off the heat. Stir in 1–2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1–2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and 2 tablespoons fish sauce. Taste and balance — it should hit salty, sour, and a little sweet in one spoonful. Too flat? More lime. Too sharp? Pinch of sugar. Too shy? Splash of fish sauce.
- 5
Ladle into bowls, top with chopped cilantro, and serve hot on its own or over jasmine rice. Put chili sauce or sriracha on the table. You want silky coconut-chicken soup with bright lime and gentle chile warmth — not a broken oily broth or dry overcooked chicken strips.