Chicken coconut soup.

Tom-Soup: Chicken coconut soup.

                Tum kha Gai or Chicken coconut soup is the food from central Thailand that a lot of Americans like.  Actually it means chicken with galangal soup, because the main ingredient is young galangal and chicken.  In Thai we eat with rice and serve at the same time with any food not like in America it is served as an appetizer.  When I first came here (USA) I ordered it in one of the Thai restaurants and it tasted totally different from what I have in Thailand.  I was kind of disappointed.  The original was my mom’s recipe chicken coconut soup which makes it rich and tasty (little bit sour and spicy), but in America (some restaurants) make it too watery and it does not taste good at all (for my opinion).  I find out later that some restaurants just want to make it light so they serve as a soup not for food like the traditional recipe.  So this recipe it will be the original one, but if you think it’s too rich and tasty for you just add more chicken broth.

Note: If you cannot find young galangal don’t worry just use the one you can find and make thin sliced, but if it’s too old and cannot make thin sliced just pound it.

Ingredients

1/2 pound chicken

1 cup mushroom

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

½ cup chicken broth or water

3 Kaffir leaves (Tear it about 4 pieces per one leaf)

1 lemon grass (pounded and cut into 1 inches)

4-6 pieces young galangal (slice)

2-11 Thai Chilies (it’s up to you)

2 tbsp. cilantros

2-3 tbsp. fish sauce

2-3 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

Cooking Instructions

1.       In medium pot add coconut milk and chicken broth or water, bring it to a boil at medium heat.

2.       Add galangal, Kaffir lime leaves,  lemon grass, stir and keep at a boil for about 8-10 minutes

3.       Add chicken, stir 2-3 times till chicken cooked then add sugar

4.       Add mushroom bring it to a boil then turn the heat off

5.       For seasoning add chili and lime juice then stir it till mixed well at last garnish with cilantro.

6.       Serve with steamed rice (for me plus Thai omelet)

Now dig in!!