Tom Kha Gai

What to Put on the Table With Tom Kha Gai

• A cold lager or a Gewürztraminer
• Serve with jasmine rice and a green salad
• Finish with sliced mango

How to Make Tom Kha Gai

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Bring the stock to a simmer with the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chillies and infuse for 10 minutes.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

2. Add the coconut milk and bring back to a gentle simmer — never a boil, which would split it.

   Mark done

3. Add the chicken and poach for 5 minutes until just cooked through.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

4. Add the mushrooms and simmer 3 minutes more.

   Mark done

5. Stir in the chilli jam if using and the palm sugar.

   Mark done

6. Take the pot off the heat and season with the fish sauce and lime juice, tasting and adjusting until it is balanced between creamy, sour and salty.

   Mark done

7. Scatter with coriander and spring onions and serve immediately with jasmine rice.

   Mark done

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

Notes From the Method

Keep it below a simmer once the coconut milk is in, or the fat separates and the soup looks curdled.

Slice the chicken thinly so it poaches in minutes and stays tender.

Adjust the lime last and generously — coconut milk mutes acidity more than you expect.

Changing the Recipe

• If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.

Leftovers

Refrigerate 3 days. Reheat gently without boiling and refresh with a squeeze of lime.

Nutrition per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.