24/07/2023
Hello! As part of our video series, here is Chef Kwan’s version of Tom Kha (ต้มข่า), or Thai coconut soup. We wanted to share an easy recipe as a way to tap into Thai food at home.
Tom Kha is a creamy, but mild soup, infused with galangla (the “kha” in tom kha), lemongrass, shallots, and kaffir lime leaves.
We made our tom Kha with chicken and some lobster meatballs we purchased at our local Asian store that was sitting in tue freezer. One of the things we want to stress by putting these recipes online is the flexibility to make it your own. Even though we used chicken, and lobster meatballs, it’s totally okay if you wanted to use pork or seafood, or even tofu! Use whatever protein you have most available!!
If there is one ingredient we say is a must, it would be galangal — because this soup translate to boiled (tom) galangal (kha) soup! You can find frozen/fresh galangal at your local Asian market!
This was our first video, so I made a few mistakes in the voice over:
- I said “oyster mushrooms”, but it’s actually king/trumpet mushrooms
- I said “serves 8”, but as an appetizer/starter soup 😂
Chef Kwan’s Tom Kha recipe:
2 cups of water or broth
13.5 fl oz of coconut milk
2 tbs of fish sauce, to taste
1 tbs of mushroom/umami powder (or any boullion will do)
1 lemongrass, cut into pieces, discard the top 3rd
6 - 8 of kiffar lime leaves (skip if you can’t find it)
4 - 6 half inch thick slices of galangal
1 - 2 shallots, sliced
1 - 2 limes, juiced (can use lime powder if you have)
Chili, if you want some spice, to taste
Protein of choice (we used 2 lbs chicken and meatballs)
1 king mushroom, cut
Cilantro and green onions for garnish
FAQ:
What if I don’t have mushroom powder? A: feel free to use bouillon powder of choice, or use a stock instead of water. I have seen umami/mushroom powder at Teader Joes and Whole Foods though.
At some Thai places the broth is orange, how come? A: probably they added chili oil — you can add, but totally optional.
I don’t like mushrooms, can I add something else? A: Sure! Feel free to omit. Any veggies will do, for example, you can add spinach, corn, carrots, more onions — add what you like!!
Lime powder? A: If you don’t have or can’t find lime power, add and extra fresh lime in. Chef Kwan was gifted lime power while in Thailand, so that’s why we used it.
Do you eat the aromatics? A: We eat the galangal, but not the lemongrass because it’s too hard. We leave it in our soup and just move it to the side. You can just remove before serving though.
