Tom Kha Gai

Name: Tom Kha Gai
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 500 g, sliced boneless chicken thighs; 800 ml (2 cans) coconut milk; 500 ml chicken stock; 1 thumb, sliced into coins galangal; 2 stalks, bruised and cut into 5 cm pieces lemongrass; 6, torn kaffir lime leaves; 200 g, torn oyster mushrooms; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp palm sugar; 3 tbsp lime juice; 3, smashed thai chilies; a small handful cilantro

The gentler cousin of tom yum — chicken poached in coconut milk perfumed with galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime, finished with lime juice and fish sauce. Creamy, fragrant, and bracing all at once.

gluten-free
dairy-free
nut-free
egg-free
high-protein
contains-meat
contains-fish

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs500 g, sliced
coconut milk800 ml (2 cans)
chicken stock500 ml
galangal1 thumb, sliced into coins
lemongrass2 stalks, bruised and cut into 5 cm pieces
kaffir lime leaves6, torn
oyster mushrooms200 g, torn
fish sauce3 tbsp
palm sugar1 tbsp
lime juice3 tbsp
thai chilies3, smashed
cilantroa small handful

Steps

Simmer coconut milk and aromatics.
Combine coconut milk and stock in a pot with the galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a bare simmer.
Add chicken and poach.
Add the chicken and poach until just cooked through.
Add mushrooms and chilies; simmer.
Add mushrooms and smashed chilies; simmer until tender.
Season off the heat.
Off the heat, season with fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. Taste — it should land salty, then sour, then sweet, with heat creeping in last.
Ladle soup and garnish with cilantro.
Ladle into bowls and scatter with cilantro. The aromatics stay in the pot — they're meant to be pushed aside, not eaten.

Nutrition

Nutrition, per serving. 230 calories. Protein 18.5 grams, 31 percent. Carbs 7.5 grams, 13 percent. Fat 15 grams, 56 percent. Fiber 1.5 grams, sugar 3 grams, saturated fat 12 grams, sodium 850 milligrams. Estimated from ingredients.