Thai recipe

Tom Kha Gai

Name: Tom Kha Gai
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Thai cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g boneless skinless chicken thigh, sliced 8 mm; 500 ml full-fat coconut milk; 500 ml unsalted chicken stock; 60 g fresh galangal, thinly sliced; 50 g lemongrass, bruised and cut into 5 cm pieces; 6 makrut lime leaves, torn; 250 g oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces; 80 g shallots, lightly crushed; 6 Thai bird's-eye chiles, lightly crushed; 40 ml fish sauce, plus up to 10 ml to adjust; 55 ml fresh lime juice; 8 g palm sugar; 15 g cilantro leaves

Chicken and mushrooms simmer gently in coconut broth perfumed with galangal, lemongrass, makrut lime, shallot, chile, fish sauce, and fresh lime.

Thailand

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4

Tom Kha Gai coconut chicken soup with galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, mushrooms, chile, and cilantro — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Evan Joshua Swigart (TheCulinaryGeek)Source page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
boneless skinless chicken thigh, sliced 8 mm
500 ml
full-fat coconut milk
500 ml
unsalted chicken stock
60 g
fresh galangal, thinly sliced
50 g
lemongrass, bruised and cut into 5 cm pieces
6
makrut lime leaves, torn
250 g
oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
80 g
shallots, lightly crushed
6
Thai bird's-eye chiles, lightly crushed
40 ml
fish sauce, plus up to 10 ml to adjust
55 ml
fresh lime juice
8 g
palm sugar
15 g
cilantro leaves

Method

01
Infuse stock before coconut
Bring stock, galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, and shallots to a gentle simmer. Cover slightly ajar and infuse 10 minutes; keep the bubbles small so bitter woody notes do not dominate.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Add coconut without splitting
Pour in coconut milk and add palm sugar. Heat over medium-low for 4–5 minutes until steaming and just beginning to tremble; never bring the coconut broth to a rolling boil.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Poach the chicken safely
Add chicken slices one by one so they do not clump. Keep at a gentle simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring twice, until every slice is opaque and at least 74°C at the centre.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Cook mushrooms briefly
Add mushrooms, chiles, and 40 ml fish sauce. Simmer 4 minutes until mushrooms are tender at the edges but springy at the centre; turn off the heat immediately.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Add lime off heat
Wait 1 minute, stir in all 55 ml lime juice, and taste a spoonful without woody aromatics. Add up to 10 ml fish sauce only if needed; the soup should be tangy, creamy, salty, and aromatic, not sugary.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Serve with aromatic pieces visible
Divide chicken, mushrooms, and broth among four hot bowls and scatter cilantro. Leave galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves visible for aroma but tell diners not to chew them.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Fry curry paste in the thick coconut cream until fragrant and glossy before adding thin liquid; this builds aroma without scorching the paste.
Balance salty, sweet, sour, and heat only after the main ingredients are tender; reduction changes all four.

Common mistakes

A violent boil can split coconut milk and toughen meat; keep the pot at the steady simmer specified in each step.
Adding lime juice while boiling dulls its fresh aroma; turn off the heat first whenever the method calls for lime.

Substitutions

Boneless chicken breast may replace thigh; slice 8 mm and poach only until the centre reaches 74°C, usually 4–6 minutes, to avoid dryness.
Oyster mushrooms can be replaced by straw mushrooms of the same weight; halve large ones and keep the same 4-minute simmer.

Storage

Cool within 2 hours and refrigerate airtight for up to 3 days. Reheat to a steady simmer and at least 74°C throughout; add fresh lime only after reheating.

Cultural context

Tom kha is defined by fresh galangal—kha—not simply coconut milk. Its perfume and fresh off-heat lime distinguish it from a generic creamy chicken soup.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Tom kha gai — Photograph by Evan Joshua Swigart (TheCulinaryGeek); CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Thai recipes

Tom Kha Gai

Ingredients

Method

Infuse stock before coconut

Add coconut without splitting

Poach the chicken safely

Cook mushrooms briefly

Add lime off heat

Serve with aromatic pieces visible

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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