How To Make Tom Kha Gai?

Tom Kha Gai is a famous Thai soup which is delightful creamy with coconut and flavored by lemongrass, galangal root, and kaffir lime leaves. Thai people like to use Lobo brand Tom Kha paste when they are in a hurry or when all the necessary fresh Thai herbs are not at hand. This packet of ready-made paste makes one dish of soup.

To make the most delicious Tom Kha outside of Thailand, try adding to the recipe: sliced chicken breast, half a can of coconut milk, fresh or canned mushrooms, fresh Thai chili peppers, sliced fresh lemongrass, torn kaffir lime leaf, Thai fish sauce and fresh lime juice.
Simply boil canned coconut milk, add the paste and chicken. For a more authentic taste add fish sauce. See our recipe for Thai Chicken Soup in Coconut Milk (Tom Kha Gai).

Bring coconut milk and broth to a boil, add thinly sliced galangal, minced ginger, and thai chiles to soup and simmer on medium for 10 minutes. Add chicken slices and stir occasionally until chicken is tenderly cooked. Add straw mushrooms (drained), and thinly sliced, deveined lime leaves (optional: cut a few cross-sections of lemon grass and add to the soup) (optional : cut tomatoes into largish cubes about 1" square, and add to soup). Add more thai chiles if it is not spicy enough for you -- simmer for 10 more minutes. When you are ready to serve, turn off the heat, add brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and stir well.
Then top it off with the cut cilantro. Serve hot by itself or pour over rice. Dash chile sauce over the top to taste.

Ingredients

1/2 cups Thai coconut milk, Chaokoh brand preferred
1/2 cup thin slices of galangal (fresh or dried)
1 lemon grass, cut into slices
5 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces
5 shallots, crushed
3/4 lbs (300 grams) chicken meat, cut into thin slices
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
5-6 small hot Thai chillies, crushed
1 cup coconut cream
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce