Tom Khagai

Name: Tom Khagai (Thai Galangal Chicken Soup)
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice; One 13½-oz/405-ml. can unsweetened coconut milk; 2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce; 5 fresh kaffir lime leaves (see Cook’s Note), or 1 tsp. freshly grated lime zest; 5 Thai bird chiles, stemmed and smashed (see Cook’s Note); Kosher or fine sea salt; 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 6 oz/170 g each, cut crosswise into slices ¼ in/6 mm thick; ⅓ cup/20 g firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves; 1½ lb/680 g oyster mushrooms, stems trimmed and cut in half; 2½ cups/360 ml. homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth; 1 lemongrass stalk; 1-in/2.5-cm. piece galangal, peeled and cut into matchsticks; 4 small shallots, quartered

Thai Galangal Chicken Soup

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Roots

By Diane Morgan

Published 2012

About

Perhaps the most ubiquitous use of this aromatic rhizome is in the popular Thai soup tom kha gai (kha is “galangal” in Thai). This version is quick and easy, with a big return in flavor. Although the ingredients may seem exotic, it’s a simple fix for a weeknight dinner served with a scoop of steamed jasmine rice alongside.

Ingredients

1 lemongrass stalk
2½ cups/360 ml. homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Dinner
Gluten-free
Soup

Method

Trim off the root end from the lemongrass stalk, then cut off and discard the tough green tops. You should have a bulb about 4 in/10 cm. long. Peel away the tough outer leaves, cut