{"id":109717,"title":"Authentic Tom Kha Gai Soup","modified":"2025-10-29T16:19:00+01:00","plain":"A delicious recipe for Thai Tom Kha Gai soup. Flavorful, creamy, and quick to make. Enjoy restaurant-quality Thai food at home!\n\n\n\nWhat is Tom Kha Soup?\n\n\n\nTom Kha Gai, sometimes spelled Tom Kha Kai, is one of the most popular soups among Thai food lovers. Tom means to boil, kha stands for galangal, and gai means chicken. So, it\u2019s a chicken soup where most of the flavor comes from galangal, but another key ingredient not mentioned in the name is coconut milk.\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ll find Tom Kha Gai in almost every Thai restaurant, but since it\u2019s such an easy recipe, it\u2019s perfect for a simple dinner at home. While chicken is the classic version, you can make Tom Kha with other proteins too.\n\n\n\nIn Thailand, common alternatives are fish or seafood, as they pair best with the soup\u2019s signature flavors.\n\n\n\nThe tom yum soup recipe with shrimp, another delicious Thai soup\n\n\n\nWhat makes Tom Kha Gai special is the way you enjoy it\u2014it\u2019s reminiscent of a curry thanks to its creamy texture. Unlike traditional soups (like tom yum), which are often light, Tom Kha Gai stands out for its richness, thanks to the coconut milk.\n\n\n\nTom Kha is perfect with a side of steamed jasmine rice, which soaks up the fragrant, flavorful broth and turns the meal into a complete and satisfying experience, much like a classic curry.\n\n\n\nWhy not serve some moo grob on the side? That\u2019s Thai crispy pork belly\n\n\n\nKey Ingredients in Tom Kha Gai Soup\n\n\n\nCoconut milk: Thick and creamy, it gives the soup its rich texture and a subtle sweetness.\n\n\n\nLemongrass: This fragrant stalk adds a bright, citrusy note.\n\n\n\nGalangal: A rhizome similar to ginger, it brings a spicy, slightly sweet flavor. If you can\u2019t find it, ginger is a good substitute.\n\n\n\nKaffir lime leaves: Aromatic leaves that add a citrusy fragrance and a hint of bitterness.\n\n\n\nFish sauce: This salty, umami-rich liquid deepens the savory flavors.\n\n\n\nTamarind paste: This tangy-sweet paste brings acidity and a touch of sweetness.\n\n\n\nPalm sugar: A natural sweetener that balances the sour and spicy notes.\n\n\n\nCilantro: Fresh herb that adds brightness and a citrusy touch.\n\n\n\nCulantro: An aromatic herb, similar to cilantro but stronger, adds depth. It\u2019s optional.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Tom Kha Gai Soup\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tWok\t\n\t\n\t\t300 ml water200 ml coconut milk20 g lemongrass28 g galangal3 leaves kaffir lime leaves4 dried chilies (adjust to your heat tolerance)1 tablespoon fish sauce0.5 tablespoon tamarind paste0.5 tablespoon salt0.5 tablespoon palm sugar100 g mushrooms (enoki or other Asian mushrooms)250 g chicken (thinly sliced)4 g cilantro (to taste)4 g culantro (optional; to taste)4 green onions (to taste)\t\n\t\n\t\tIn a wok or saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and coconut milk, then bring to a gentle simmer.Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and dried chilies.Once the soup base is simmering, stir in the fish sauce, tamarind paste, salt, and palm sugar.When the palm sugar has fully dissolved, add the mushrooms and chicken to the simmering broth. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.Once the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, add the green onions, cilantro, and culantro. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.\t\n\t\n\t\t\nGalangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves are not meant to be eaten; remove them before serving.\nGarnish with fresh herbs and chilies to taste.\nServe the soup on its own or with rice.\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\tPlat principalTha\u00eflandaise\t\n\n\n\n\n\nThis recipe was shared with us by Praew from the English-language blog Hungry In Thailand. Stay tuned\u2014she\u2019s a Thai recipes expert and will be sharing more traditional Thai dishes soon!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109717"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110202,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109717\/revisions\/110202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}