Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)

⏱ 35 min · Serves 4

Silky coconut broth humming with galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf, studded with tender chicken and mushrooms. It's fragrant, sour-salty-creamy comfort in a bowl, and it comes together faster than a takeaway delivery.

Per serving: 585 kcal · 27.0g protein · 13.0g carbs · 49.0g fat

Ingredients

• 400g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
• 2 x 400ml tins full-fat coconut milk
• 300ml chicken stock
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 5cm lengths
• 30g fresh galangal (or ginger), thinly sliced
• 6 makrut lime leaves, torn
• 3 coriander roots or stems, bruised
• 200g button or oyster mushrooms, halved
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp palm sugar or caster sugar
• 3-4 tbsp lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2-4 bird's eye chillies, lightly crushed
• 1 small tomato, cut into wedges (optional)
• Handful coriander leaves, to serve
• 1 tbsp chilli oil or roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao), optional

Method

1. Scoop the thick cream from the top of one tin of coconut milk into a saucepan and heat over medium until it bubbles and smells nutty, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and coriander roots and fry 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.
3. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer (don't boil hard, or it will split) and cook 10 minutes to infuse.
4. Add the chicken and mushrooms, simmer 6-8 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.
5. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, crushed chillies and tomato wedges if using. Simmer 1 minute more.
6. Take off the heat, then stir in the lime juice. Taste and balance: more fish sauce for salt, lime for sourness, a pinch of sugar to round it out.
7. Ladle into bowls, leaving the woody aromatics behind or warning guests not to eat them. Top with coriander and a swirl of chilli oil. Serve with jasmine rice.