Tom Ka Kai

Cuisine: Thai

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Serves: 4

Tom Ka Kai is surely everyone's favorite comfort food and is a quick meal in a single bowl of soup. This soothing hot soup is a delicious blend of Coconut Milk and Thai spices, which makes it fragrant and creamy.

Coconut oil 1 tablespoon, one chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 Thai Chillies
4 Slices of Galangal or Ginger
Red Thai Curry Paste - 2 tablespoons
1 Lemongrass stalk
4 cups broth (Vegetable or Chicken)
4 cups coconut milk
2 chicken breasts or any protein of your choice (Tofu, Paneer 250 grams)
30 grams Mushrooms
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 Green Onions sliced
Chopped cilantro
Salt for taste

How to make Tom ka Kai?

Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a medium-sized cooking pot over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, red Thai curry paste and let it cook till the onions are transparent. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Lower the flame and add 4 cups of broth. Cook this for about 30 minutes without covering the pot.
Strain out the spices as all the flavor has been extracted. After discarding the aromatics, add 4 cups of creamy coconut milk and mix it thoroughly. Also, add your choice of protein (chicken, tofu, paneer), which has been cut into bite-sized pieces. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes or until your protein has been cooked thoroughly.
Add the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar for taste. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Serve by pouring into soup bowls and top with chopped cilantro and green onions.

Chef Tip: Do not overcook your protein as it will become hard and chewy. Keep checking the texture after five minutes. You can replace fish sauce with soy sauce. Keep a check on the amount of salt, as soy sauce is already a little salty. Salt also quickens the rate of cooking, so add it at the last stage of cooking.

Enjoy this absolutely lip-smacking soup which is bound to be your favorite soul food. We promise that you will fall in love with this aromatic blend of Thai flavors.

Quick Bites

Fun Fact

• So much so is the priority of food for Thai people that whenever you meet some Thai person, the first thing they will say is “Gin Khao Yung” meaning- have you eaten yet!

• Thai people consider wasting rice to be very bad. They believe that every grain of rice contains a piece of divinity within.

Historical Fact

• In the late 19th century, tom Kha was not a soup. It was a dish of chicken or duck simmered in a light coconut broth with a generous amount of galangal. It was then served with a basic roasted chili jam as a dipping relish.

Nutrition Fact

• It’s perfect during the cold and flu season, for recovery from an illness or just boosting immunity and preventing infections. It is also very low in carbs, which makes it really good for people with blood sugar regulation and weight issues.

• The cilantro in the soup acts like an aromatic herb, which has the ability to promote digestion and reduce bloating and gas.