Tom Kha Soup
8 servings
70 minutes
Tom Kha is a gem of Thai cuisine, captivating hearts with its aroma and flavor. This soup embodies harmony, where the softness of coconut milk blends with the spicy sharpness of Tom Yum paste and the tanginess of lime. Lemongrass and galangal add freshness and richness to the soup, while chicken meat and shrimp make it hearty and tender. The roots of Tom Kha delve deep into Thai culinary tradition, where each ingredient holds special significance. With its balanced taste, the soup is perfect for warming evenings as well as light summer lunches. It should be served with a generous portion of cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice to unveil the full range of flavors.
1
Clean and chop the carrot coarsely. Place it in a pot along with a peeled onion and a whole chicken. Pour in water and simmer for fifty minutes — until the broth is ready. It's important not to add a gram of salt.
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 head
- Chicken: 1 piece
2
Take lemongrass stalks, cut off the roots and all the green parts. You will get cuttings about six centimeters long. Cut them into rings no wider than 1/2 cm. Peel the galangal and slice it into half-centimeter disks.
- Lemongrass: 6 stems
- Galangal: 3 pieces
3
Strain a liter of broth and pour it into a pot. Place it on the heat and add chopped lemongrass and galangal. Everything should boil for about five minutes on low heat until a sharp smell arises, like triple cologne. Pour a liter of coconut milk into the broth, bring it to a temperature close to boiling, and maintain it until the soup is ready.
- Lemongrass: 6 stems
- Galangal: 3 pieces
- Coconut milk: 1 l
4
Add 1.5 tablespoons of tom yum chili paste, 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce to the soup in sequence. Mix each ingredient and wait a couple of minutes before adding the next.
- Tom yum paste: 2 tablespoons
- Tamarind paste: 1 teaspoon
- Fish sauce: 40 ml
5
Add 2/3 of a palm sugar head to the soup. To crush the palm sugar, wrap the head in a towel, hold the ends, and hit the bundle against the floor several times. Stir and wait for the sugar to dissolve completely.
- Palm sugar: 60 g
6
Shred the boiled chicken, remove the meat from the bones, and add it to the soup. Add kaffir lime leaves and let the soup sit on low heat for a couple of minutes.
- Chicken: 1 piece
- Kaffir lime leaves: 4 pieces
7
Fry large shrimp in butter until golden brown, chop, and add to the soup.
- Shrimp: 500 g
8
Serve by adding lime juice from a quarter and a handful of coarsely chopped cilantro to each plate.
- Lime: 2 pieces
- Cilantro: 1 bunch
