Tom kha kai, or tom kha gai, is a spicy and sweet-sour soup made with coconut milk and chicken.
In general, Tom Kha is a creamy-spicy soup from Thai and Lao cuisine, based on coconut milk and galangal.
It originated from the cookbook Tam raa gap khao (ตำรากับเข้า) from 1890 by Maawm Sohm Jeen, the first version was called: Tom kha pet, containing duck and young galangal in a coconut milk-based curry.
Over time, chicken became a more popular protein choice and the dish evolved into the version known as Tom kha kai, with chicken (kai) instead of duck.
The tom kha kai recipe generally includes, besides coconut milk and chicken, galangal (sometimes substituted with ginger), kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chili, cilantro (or dill), straw mushrooms (or other mushrooms), fish sauce and lime juice.
Sometimes, fried chilies are also added.
This version of mine was made during my Thai cooking course in Ao Nang, an experience booked through GetYourGuide, in the first part of my trip to Thailand in October 2024.
Shrimp is also a popular protein option for what becomes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Thai
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz chicken breast
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 4 slices pieces of galangal (or ginger)
- 4 leaves kaffir lime
- 4 chilies (crushed)
- 2.1 oz white onion
- 2.1 oz straw mushrooms (or other mushrooms)
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 cup ml coconut milk
- to taste cilantro
- 2 limes
Steps
Prepare all the ingredients chopped. The onion into 4 pieces.
Heat the coconut milk, add the onion, lemongrass, galangal, mushrooms, lime leaves, and finally the chicken.
Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the sauce and sugar.
Turn off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and the chili, finally serve with cilantro.
This is the recipe present in the pantry of the Thai cooking course that you can download for free where you will also find various information about Thai cuisine and many other traditional recipes, such as the papaya salad, som tam
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can Thai Tom Kha also be vegetarian ?
Yes, Tom Kha can be prepared in a vegetarian or vegan version. Traditionally, this Thai soup is cooked with chicken broth and chicken, but it can be easily adapted.
In Thailand, the vegetarian version of Tom Kha is commonly known as: Tom Kha Hed (ต้มข่าเห็ด), where “hed” (เห็ด) means mushroom.
This dish replaces the traditional chicken (gai) with mushrooms, maintaining the rich and aromatic flavors of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves.
Here’s how to make it in a vegetarian version.
Vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Tofu as protein, instead of chicken.
Key ingredients like coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms, chili, and lime remain unchanged.
For seasoning: soy sauce or tamari instead of fish sauce (which is not vegetarian).
