Tom Kha Soup is comfort in a bowl. Creamy coconut milk, seductive chillies and fragrant lemon grass and lime leaves set this soup apart from any you have ever had. The vegetables can be swapped with the season, the coconut can be swapped to low fat if that is a better option for you, the chillies can be reduced or increased. The soup is very versatile and will become a staple in your menu once you try it.
The soup is very easy to make and comes together quickly. Fresh lemon grass can be found at most shops, but the fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves may be harder to find. Most Asian/Oriental shops stock the leaves, some fresh, some frozen. I always buy a bunch and freeze for later use.
Big fan of Thai food? Check out some of my other Thai recipes:
Pad Thai
Som Tum (papaya salad)
Massaman curry
Tom Kha Soup
Serves 4-6
For the broth
400ml coconut milk
800ml water
3 lemon grass stalks, bashed with the bottom of a knife or a rolling pin to release flavour
5cm (2 inches) galangal, thinly sliced
3 shallots, sliced
For the soup
100g shiitake or brown mushrooms, thinly sliced, stems removed if using shiitakes
2 small pak choi or ½ small Chinese cabbage, sliced into small strips
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into wedges
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn to release their flavour
1 tsp palm sugar or coconut sugar
pinch of salt, to taste
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
juice of ½ lime, more to taste
25g fresh coriander, roughly chopped, reserve some to garnish
Garnishes
2 Thai chillies, thinly sliced, more if you like it hotter
2 spring onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
reserved coriander leaves
Instructions
To make the broth, put the coconut milk and water into a large saucepan or wok and add the stock. Heat until boiling. Add the lemongrass, galangal and shallot and simmer for at least 15 minutes, 30 minutes if you have time.
Pass the broth through a sieve to remove any chunks, pressing gently to extract as much flavour as possible. Return the broth to the saucepan.
To the broth add the mushrooms, pak choi, carrot, tomatoes and lime leaves and continue simmering until cooked, about 10 minutes.
Season with the sugar, salt and tamari. Finally, add the lime juice and coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, lime juice, sugar, salt or soy sauce, if needed. Thai food should always have a good balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. The spicy will come with the addition of the chillies.
To serve, ladle the broth into bowls and garnish with the chillies, spring onions and reserved coriander.