Tom Kha Gai Soup

This is another very popular Thai soup and like Tom Yum Kung above it is incredibly easy to make.

The galangal can be substituted with fresh ginger but it really will not be the same, it will lack the slight earthy flavour that the galangal provides.

As with most Thai soups the chicken in this recipe could very easily and very happily be replaced with prawns, or for a mixed seafood soup with a mixture of pieces of fish and calamari.


Ingredients (serves 4)

1 litre good quality homemade chicken stock
330ml can of coconut milk
2 stalks fresh lemongrass – cut into 2cm long sections and bashed
2 cm knob of fresh galangal, or substitute with fresh peeled and sliced ginger
3 fresh kaffir lime Leaves
3 Thai bird's eye chillies chopped in half lengthways. You want the pieces to be big so that they are easy to avoid!
2 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp caster sugar
A good handful of fresh coriander
200g boneless chicken breast – chopped into thin slivers
1 small tin straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed


In a large pot add the stock, galangal, lemongrass, sugar and coriander (reserve some eaves for garnish) and simmer for about ten minutes.

Add the coconut, chillis and fish sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and the straw mushrooms and simmer until the chicken has turned white. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the lime juice and then taste for seasoning. Add more fish sauce if it needs more salt or more lime juice if it is not sour enough.

Ladle into individual bowls, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Couldn’t be simpler!