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Tom Kha Gai - chicken and coconut soup

19/12/2014

15 Comments

 
'A person who is eating has neither greed nor anger,' goes a zen saying. The partaking of food promotes a harmony within ourselves, as well as with nature and those with whom we share our meal. From the small harmony of a meal at a day's end grows the larger harmony of the family, the community, and all that surrounds. Dinner is served. The whole world is seated. 
                                                        – Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen 24/7 
Tom Kha Gai - Thai chicken and coconut soup


Sometimes it's better-than-good to shut down the computer, turn off the TV news, and drink in the comfort of a simple bowl of soup. Nothing more needs to be said.

TOM KHA GAI
(CHICKEN AND COCONUT SOUP)
500ml chicken stock
400ml coconut milk
3 fresh kaffir lime leaves
6cm piece fresh lemon grass, chopped and bruised
4cm piece fresh galangal, sliced and bruised
2 bird's eye chillies, sliced
100g chicken tenderloins, sliced into bite sized pieces
100g button mushrooms, sliced
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 2-3 fresh limes
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar syrup
a pinch of sea salt
chilli paste, to serve

Combine the chicken stock and coconut milk in a medium sized saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Place the kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal and chillies into a wide tea infuser or spice egg (or tie them into a piece of muslin, which can be easily removed from the soup) and immerse into the boiling stock and coconut milk in the pan. Simmer briefly, then add the chicken and the mushrooms, simmering gently until the chicken is cooked through. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar syrup and salt, then check for flavour and add a little more lime juice, palm sugar or salt if required. Remove the tea infuser, spice egg or muslin. Ladle the soup into bowls, along with the chicken slices and mushrooms, and serve with a dash of chilli paste. Serves 4. 
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Fresh ingredients for Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is a soup I've been making for decades. Over the years I have adapted recipes from Charmaine Solomon and David Thompson, to come up my with own version, which includes the use of palm sugar syrup as well as fresh mushrooms. I love the hot, salty, sour and sweet combination of the ingredients. There is true harmony here.
Tell me dear readers, do you find comfort in a bowl of soup?

Drink in the comfort of a simple bowl of soup... 


Palm sugar syrup and coconut milk
Tom Kha Gai - chicken and coconut milk soup
15 Comments
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef link
17/12/2014 07:39:11 pm

That soup looks like velvet but I bet it clears your sinuses too. Yum!

Reply
Francesca link
18/12/2014 07:30:55 am

I do find comfort in a bowl of soup, and summer is no different in this respect. That looks so delicious.

Reply
Karen (Back Road Journal) link
18/12/2014 07:35:29 am

A bowl of your soup sounds like a delicious and warming lunch for a cold winter day.

Reply
Hotly Spiced link
18/12/2014 07:46:15 am

I do love this soup and I order it often when we dine Thai. It's such a hot soup and like Maureen says, it really does clear your sinuses! xx

Reply
Adri link
18/12/2014 09:39:03 am

What beautiful soup - perfect for our chilly weather!

Reply
Eha
18/12/2014 11:23:31 am

Oh Liz - ditto the decades and ditto Charmaine Solomon: in spite of shelves full of cookery books I still so oft reach for hers - especially love her East/West vegetarian one which is in use at least once a fortnight!!! You have served this beautifully - must try it all in white: most of my bowls are the red or black lacquer ware kind :) !!

Reply
Joanne T Ferguson link
18/12/2014 11:56:06 am

G'day What a great soup Lizzy and I could go for some right now!
You got my vote and then some re time out from technology!
Cheers! Joanne

Reply
Amanda @ Gourmanda link
18/12/2014 04:40:04 pm

It's been such a tough week for all us Aussies. A bowl of comfort soup would be perfect.

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Kiran @ KiranTarun.com link
19/12/2014 08:10:18 am

This has to be one of my favorite soups, ever. Looks so delicious :)

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Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
19/12/2014 02:54:10 pm

I love these Thai flavors, what a tasty soup!

Reply
Gourmet Getaways link
19/12/2014 06:06:12 pm

I went OMG, Lizzy. I will never go wrong with this soup. I love the way it looks, which was validated by the ingredients list. Certified yum!!!

Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx

Reply
kellie@foodtoglow link
19/12/2014 11:33:11 pm

This is one of our favourite soups to get when at a Thai restaurant (or rather the veggie version which is practically the same!). We love the clean, aromatic flavours. This delivers on both counts. Lovely, lovely. I can almost smell it!

Reply
Amy (Savory Moments) link
20/12/2014 12:01:36 am

This is one of my favorite soups! Yours looks delicious.

Reply
David link
20/12/2014 02:41:21 am

Tom kha gai has always been a favorite of ours, in fact it is why I insisted on growing a kaffir lime tree! Love your version and can't wait to make it- perfect comfort food for our chilly nights!

Reply
David
25/12/2014 11:26:59 am

Thsi was truly fantastic, Liz! We will be making it often! Sorry to hear you are still under the weather - I hope you feel better soon!

P.S. aren't we lucky to have kaffir lime trees??

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    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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