Homemade Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) Recipe

You may have seen tom kha gai on Thai restaurant menus, but have you ever wonder what those words mean? Translated from Thai, "tom" means boiling (i.e. soup), "gai" means chicken, and "kha" is the seasoning we know as galangal. So there you have it: a boiling dish featuring chicken and galangal. And of course, each of the other ingredients plays an important role, as well. As developer Julianne De Witt describes in her tom kha gai recipe, "the coconut milk adds a creaminess that offsets the chilies, while the lime juice adds a pleasant acidity to the soup and the fish sauce adds that umami flavor."

Not only is tom kha gai fresh and tasty, but it can also be pretty nutritious. This recipe calls for using chicken stock, which can contain collagen, while coconut milk is rich in iron, vitamin C, and healthy fats. Even the lemongrass and galangal add more than just flavor, since both herbs contain antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory properties. Because this soup tastes good and is good for you, too, De Witt calls it "comfort food at its best." 

The broth for this soup is made from chicken stock and coconut milk. It gets additional seasoning from lemongrass, sugar, galangal, salt, pepper, makrut lime leaves, and lime juice. The soup also includes onions, garlic, Thai chiles, mushrooms (both oyster and shiitake), and chicken thighs marinated in fish sauce. You'll also need olive oil for cooking these ingredients. Scallions and cilantro add the finishing touch, making for an attractive green garnish.

One note on the coconut milk: For a more flavorful soup, the full-fat kind is recommended here. As for the fish sauce, if you need to buy it for the recipe but aren't sure how to use up the rest of the bottle, this umami ingredient can be added to tomato sauce and makes a great addition in homemade chili, too.

Toss the chicken thighs in fish sauce and let marinate for 5 minutes.

Use a mallet or heavy skillet to bruise the lemongrass, allowing it to release its fragrance.

Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onions, garlic, and chiles. Saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken and mushrooms. Saute until chicken is cooked halfway through, approximately 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk and stock.

Add the bruised lemongrass, sugar, galangal, salt, and pepper.

Add the lime leaves and stir.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the galangal, lime leaves, and lemongrass from the soup.

Stir in the lime juice.

Divide the soup between 4 bowls.

Garnish with the scallions and cilantro. Serve while hot.

Did you know lemongrass isn't actually related to lemons?. The culinary herb is actually, as the name implies, a type of grass. While it's related to insect-repelling citronella, it has a much more pleasant fragrance and flavor that can be described as citrusy with floral notes.

Before you cook with lemongrass, you'll need to do a small amount of prep work. First, pull off the tough, papery outer leaves, then slice off the tip of the bulb. You can also slice or puree the lemongrass if this step is called for in your recipe. Here, it's not necessary since it's only used to infuse the broth and is removed before eating. Either way, it's a good idea to pound the inner stalk lightly with a mallet, as this will help the herb release even more of its flavor.

If you're unable to get hold of fresh lemongrass, you may be able to find lemongrass paste. Just use a tablespoon of paste per stalk.

While galangal root comes from the same family as ginger, the two aren't similar enough that you can substitute one for the other (although you can always add some sliced fresh ginger to this soup if you wish). The real difference lies in the flavor: Ginger is pungent, aromatic, almost peppery in its spiciness, and brings warmth to a dish. Meanwhile, galangal has an earthier, more bitter flavor with cooling notes of pine and citrus.

You can buy fresh galangal, but it's also available in dried form, both as a whole root and a powder. De Witt uses dried whole galangal in this soup, although an equal amount of the fresh root would work just as well, as would a teaspoon or two of the powdered kind. If you do go with the fresh stuff, you'll notice yet another way in which it differs from ginger: Its skin is so thin, there's no need to peel it.