Soups
Tom Kha Gai ต้มข่าไก่ · tôm khàa gài
Creamy coconut chicken soup fragrant with galangal and lime.
- Spice
- Mild
- Also called
- Tom Kha Kai, Coconut Chicken Soup, Thai Galangal Soup
- Virtual price
- ฿85
What it is
Tom Kha Gai is a creamy coconut-milk soup with chicken, galangal (kha), lemongrass, kaffir lime and mushrooms. It is the milder, richer cousin of tom yum, gentle enough for anyone.
How it tastes
Smooth and comforting: creamy coconut, citrusy lemongrass and the distinctive piney sharpness of galangal, with a soft sour-salty balance from lime and fish sauce.
Where it comes from
A central Thai soup that pairs the country's coconut and galangal with everyday chicken; a menu staple nationwide.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- Coconut milk
- Galangal
- Lemongrass
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Straw mushrooms
- Lime juice
- Fish sauce
- Coriander
How it's made
Galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf are simmered in coconut milk to infuse it, chicken and mushrooms are poached until just cooked, and lime and fish sauce are stirred in at the end.
Variations
- Tom Kha Gai (chicken)
- Tom Kha Talay (seafood)
- Tom Kha Het (mushroom, vegetarian)
- Spicier version with added chilli
Where to eat it
Thai restaurants and rice-and-curry shops everywhere; a favourite gentle introduction to Thai soup.
