Chicken and coconut cream soup

Whether the Thai name is tom kha gai, gai dom kha or tom khaa kai, I am not sure. I found all three names while surfing and they all describe the same dish. Well, essentially.

The recipes vary but they all for the same Thai chicken soup with coconut cream, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. I tried it at a Thai restaurant last weekend, bought a Thai cookbook and made the soup last night with a few modifications of the cookbook recipe. Thai food is wonderful, if you haven’t tried it, and I am really, really smitten. The same cooking techniques as most of Southeast Asia but the dishes have a more piquant flavor from aromatics like lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, all of which you will find in most Thai dishes.

This recipe makes enough soup for 6 to 8 people.

Ingredients

8 to 10 boneless chicken thighs, about 800 grams
1 tsp. of salt
2 heaping tsps. of galangal
3 stalks of lemongrass
kaffir lime leaves (they come in pairs; I used three pairs)
3 green chilis
8 to 10 c. of chicken broth, preferably home made
patis (fish sauce)
juice of one lime (you can substitute lemon — it’s not the same but lime is not easy to find)
2 c. of coconut cream (kakang gata or the first extraction)
2 to 3 tbsps. of vegetable cooking oil

Lemongrass stalks are much longer than what you see in the photo above but you only want the lower portion.

Peel off the tough outer stalks.

Slice the lemongrass into thin rings.

Take two heaping teaspoonfuls of crushed galangal. I used bottled but if you can get fresh galangal, that would be great. If you can’t get fresh nor bottled, substitute ginger.

Cut the chicken thigh meat into thin strips. Season with a teaspoonful of salt and half of the crushed galangal. Mix well.

Heat the cooking oil in a pot. Add the seasoned chicken strips and cook, stirring, over high heat just until the chicken strips start to change color.

Tear the kaffir lime leaves and add to the pot together with the sliced lemongrass and the remaining crushed galangal. Stir well.

Pour in the chicken broth.

Slice the chilis (see related entry) and add to the pot. Season with patis. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn up the heat. Pour in the coconut milk. Bring to the boil then turn off the heat. Pour in the lime (or lemon) juice and add more patis if necessary.

Ladle into soup bowls. Top with finely sliced onion leaves and serve at once.

You might want to try these too!

1. Vietnamese beef stew
2. Lemongrass tamarind chicken

About Pinoy Cook

• About the author
• Cooking philosophy
• Food photography
• Where I cook
• Where I used to cook
• The noche buena section
• Product review policy
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Recipe archive
• Published articles
• Food from all over
• E-mail the author

House On A Hill

Fish & seafood

• Pasta with clams in red wine sauce
• Talakitok (trevally) steaks with homemade pesto
• Salmon and tomato soup
• Tilapia with shredded corn and coconut cream
• Sweet and spicy talakitok in a flash
• Pasta with prawns in creamy garlic sauce
• No meat during Lent?
• Baked fish and spinach
• Fish fillet with corn sauce
• Baked pompano and red cabbage

Healthy veggies

• Broccoli and potatoes frittata
• Cheese-topped beef and eggplants
• Cheese-topped buttered vegetables
• Fried beef brisket and potatoes with sour cream
• Pork, okra, squash and eggplants in sour cream
• Salted eggs and vegetables salad
• Baked stuffed potatoes
• Smoked salmon, lettuce and kesong puti (white cheese) salad
• Capsicum halves stuffed with chicken, cheese and vegetables
• Comfort food and home cooked meals