The Tom Kha Kai is a typical soup with all the classic ingredients of Thai cuisine: red chilies, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass. But don’t get scared: we will suggest you the right substitutes so that you can try this Thai special even if you live thousands of miles away from South Asia!
Ingredients (for 2)
- 1/2 chicken breast
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ginger
- 2 tbsp lemongrass
- 1 red chili pepper
- 1 lime
- 2 tbsp cilantro
Directions
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, finely slice the red chili peppers and peel the lime
- In a medium-sized soup pot, heat the chicken stock to medium temperature, then add the red chili pepper, lime zest, minced ginger and lemon juice
- Bring the mixture to boil, add the chicken and coconut milk, cover and simmer until the chicken is tenderly cooked (about 10 minutes)
- Reduce the heat, add the lemongrass and fish sauce, and simmer for a couple of minutes
- Turn off the heat and garnish with finely chopped cilantro
Tips from the Chef
- To get the original Thai recipe, use Kaffir lime leaves instead of lime zest and add some slices of galangal (a typical vegetable from Thailand) if available
- You can add some diced red tomatoes and mushrooms for some extra taste
Cambooza 