Name: Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Soup with Galangal)
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1-cm knob galangal, peeled and finely sliced; 2 stalks lemongrass, ends trimmed and cut into 2.5-cm lengths; 1 spring onion, chopped; 8 chicken thighs, sliced or 600 g chicken breast meat, diced; 1 red chilli, thinly sliced; 2 cups (500 ml) coconut cream, mixed with 2 cups (500 ml) water; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 kaffir lime leaves; 3 bird’s eye chillies; 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla); 1 cup (250 ml) water

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Little Thai Cookbook

By Marshall Cavendish

Published 2014

About

This ubiquitous dish is a well-loved favourite, and it is readily found in restaurants and street food stalls throughout Thailand. Some street food versions even feature innards and congealed animal blood. Regardless of the choice of ingredients, it is the galangal, with its unique peppery zing, that defines tom kha gai and transforms what would otherwise be an ordinary stew of chicken in coconut gravy. For a more robust flavour, use chicken stock in place of water.