Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken

We are so thankful for our wonderful staff at The Seasoned Chef! Winnie is one of our assistants who came to us about a year ago. Please try out this delicious homemade Tom Kha Gai!

500 ml coconut milk
1 lemongrass stalk
6 slices of galangal
7-8 kaffir lime leaves
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 large piece of chicken, leg, or breast, cut into smaller pieces
1 cup of water
150 grams oyster mushrooms
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fish sauce*
1 Tbsp palm sugar*
1 lime*, juiced
1 Thai chili (optional), sliced into small discs
pinch of cilantro as garnish

*Saltiness, sourness, and sweetness work in harmony to balance the creamy coconut milk base. You may have to adjust the lime, fish sauce, and palm sugar amounts as you go to achieve the flavor you like.

Add the coconut milk to a saucepan at medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and onion. Let simmer for three minutes.

Add the chicken and return to boil at high heat. After the coconut milk begins to thicken and reaches a level below the chicken, add enough water to cover the chicken again. Boil for another few minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Add mushrooms and tomato and reduce heat to allow the soup to simmer for 1-2 minutes until cooked through. Add salt, fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. Adjust flavors to taste. Sour, salty, and sweet flavors should all shine through (spicy too if you like that).

Remove from heat and serve with Thai chili (if desired) and a few cilantro leaves on top. This can be eaten as a soup or ladled over rice. (Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass are for flavor infusion only and not meant to be eaten).