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Tom Kha Soup - the EASIEST recipe for Tom Kha Gai or Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk, and even better than the restaurant.
What Is Tom Kha Soup
Tom Kha Soup is everyone’s favorite Thai coconut chicken soup. Usually under the name tom kha gai, it is one of the most popular soups in Thai recipes, other than Tom Yum Soup. If you have Thai food, I am sure you have tried this amazing and aromatic chicken soup.
Ingredients For Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is very easy to make at home. All you need are these ingredients:
- Chicken
- Coconut Milk
- Mushrooms
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Thai chilies
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
The cooking process is super easy, and in 20 minutes, you will have a pot of creamy, aromatic, sour, savory and mouthwatering soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tom Kha soup is actually surprisingly healthy. The broth is rich in minerals that are good for you.
Tom means soup. Kha means “galangal” in Thai, and galangal is a relative to ginger. Gai means chicken. Together, they make this delicious soup!
5 days.
This soup is 510 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Tom Kha Soup
For a wholesome Thai dinner, make the following dishes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
- Tom Yum Soup Recipe
- Creamy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Instant Pot)
- Thai Coconut Chicken and Shrimp Soup
Tom Kha Soup
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces
- 20 canned straw mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch (7cm) lengths and pounded
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, lightly bruised to release the flavor
- 6 slices galangal
- 8 bird’s eye chilies, lightly pounded
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice , or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Add water, lemongrass, galangal, chilies, and kaffir lime leaves to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the straw mushrooms and chicken, then boil on medium heat for a few minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add coconut milk and boil for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in lime juice and fish sauce to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m looking for a sukiaki recipie…I used to make it in the 70s, It was a American dish but I know the real thing is much different….thanks for all the great recipies….gerry……..
Hi Gerald, I don’t have a sukiyaki recipe yet. Sorry!
Instead of chicken, can I use salmon fish or other seafood?
Yes you can use any proteins you like.
Perfect classic recipe, I like it with a few more veggies which it comes with in the Thai restaurants I’ve had this soup. While I agree galangal is not the same as ginger (they’re cousins) if you absolutely can’t find galangal, ginger can be used instead cause without it the soup will not have the flavour that hits the spot. While it will be a little different than the galangal version it’ll still satisfy. Without it, it won’t.
This looks much like the recipe in Hot Thai Kitchen..Pailin’s book, which came out absolutely fantastic!
In the picture of this recipe, what is red in the soup? I had Tom Kha Gai in a Thai restaurant last week, and it looked exactly like your picture, but I’m trying to figure out what the red is…chili paste? Chili oil?
Thanks!
Hi Dave. It’s oil from the chicken and coconut milk, fused with the pounded red chillies.
OH! I missed the “bird’s eye chilies (lightly pounded)” in your recipe! Pailin’s recipe, I think, just called for the Thai chilies, which I just sliced. What are bird’s eye chilies?
Bird’s eye chilies is another name for Thai chili.
The chicken pad Thai is super easy and flavorful
I used brown sugar for the recipe and it was excellent
Thank you for your amazing Asian recipes
Do you have any drunken noodle recipes?
https://rasamalaysia.com/drunken-noodles/
This recipe is so good! I’d say it’s as good as what you can get in a restaurant as long as you find all the ingredients. Plus it is simple to make. Thank you Rasa!
Hi Brooke, thanks. All my recipes are restaurant quality. Please try more: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I’ve been looking for authentic Tom Kha soup recipe. This sound authentic, so am going to give it a try. I notice that this recipe doesn’t call for ginger nor vegetable broth and only 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk. Some recipes I checked out calls for these other ingredients as well as 2 or 2 1/2 cans of coconut milk. I also would like to do this soup with Tofu instead of meat. I want to learn the authentic way to cook it. Can you please respond to my comment. Thank you
If you want authentic, just follow my recipe. There is NO ginger used in Tom Kha Soup and most recipes you search on Google are not authentic.
Hi
My grocer has Galangal powder, can I use the powder and how much?
You can try using the powder, maybe just a pinch or two.
I had to LAUGH at the question “how long will this soup last in the fridge?” The correct answer is ZERO! Because it will be EATEN & gone way before 5 days ?
True enough because it’s so good.
Loved your comment–it won’t last long in my fridge, although since we are a family of 2 it does stretch to more than one meal! I have added additional veggies to mine, based on the various versions in my local Thai restaurants. I’ve added some thin slices of snow peas, carrots, and bell pepper–but not much. This is always, in my experience, served as a thin soup. The main things are the lemon grass and lime juice as I’ve always enjoyed the coconut and tart flavors that dominate. I can buy galangal in my local supermarkets.
This looks pretty good overall but “Thom Kha” does not mean galangal. It means boiled galangal , only Kha is the word for galangal FYI!
Thanks for letting me know.