Authentic Tom Kha Gai (Printable Version)

Tender chicken in coconut milk with lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves. Creamy and tangy Thai comfort food.

# What You'll Need:

→ Aromatics & Broth

01 - 3 cups chicken broth
02 - 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 slices fresh galangal
04 - 4 makrut lime leaves, torn into pieces
05 - 3 Thai bird's eye chilies, lightly crushed

→ Main Ingredients

06 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
07 - 14 fluid ounces full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
08 - 5 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
09 - 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

→ Seasonings & Finishing

10 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
11 - 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste
12 - 1 teaspoon palm sugar
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
14 - 2 green onions, sliced
15 - Lime wedges for serving

# Method:

01 - In a medium pot, bring the chicken broth to a gentle simmer. Add lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, and chilies. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes to infuse the broth with aromatics.
02 - Add the sliced chicken and shallot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken turns opaque.
03 - Add the mushrooms and pour in the coconut milk. Stir gently and bring back to a simmer without allowing vigorous boiling.
04 - Season the soup with fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste, balancing salty, sour, and sweet notes.
05 - Remove from heat. Discard the lemongrass, galangal slices, and lime leaves if desired.
06 - Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and serve with lime wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really spent maybe thirty minutes total.
  • The balance of flavors—salty, sour, sweet, spicy—hits a satisfaction spot that's hard to explain until you taste it.
  • Full-fat coconut milk makes it genuinely creamy without any dairy, which was a game-changer for me.
02 -
  • If you boil the coconut milk vigorously instead of simmering gently, it will separate and look broken—a mistake I made twice before understanding the difference.
  • The aromatic infusion step is not something to skip; those 5 to 7 minutes of simmering create a depth that you absolutely cannot fake by just throwing everything together at once.
03 -
  • Make the infused broth the night before and let it cool completely; the flavors deepen overnight and the fat rises to the top where you can skim it if you want a lighter version.
  • Keep lime wedges and fresh herbs at the table so people can adjust the brightness and freshness of their own bowl—it's the Thai way and transforms the eating experience.
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