Making Tom Kha Goong is very easy. No curry paste, oil and salt are added. Just boil everything together. It’s very comforting that you will drink all the soup.
What is Tom Kha Goong?
Probably you’ve heard of Tom Yum Goong, or Tom Kha Gai, but what is Tom Kha Goong actually? Today I had my lesson from Michelin. Let me share it with you in a simple way.
‘Tom’ means boil, ‘Kha’ is galangal, and ‘Goong/Gung’ is prawn. When you switch ‘goong’ to ‘kai/gai’, then it becomes chicken. Simple, right?
And the most popular Thai dish, Tom Yum Goong, ‘Yum’ refers to mixing. Mixing everything together to a yummy level, then it’s yum!
Key Ingredients: Galangal and Lemongrass
Tom Kha Goong is very easy to make. However, you need 2 key ingredients to make this tasty soup happen: galangal and lemongrass. You can find them in most of the Asian grocery stores, online, or big supermarkets like Tesco, M&S or Waitrose.
Tip: If you can’t finish the galangal in one shot, freeze it. It may release water when thawing, but it won’t affect the outcome so much.
No Chilli, Curry Paste, Salt or Oil
When I searched for Tom Kha soup recipe, some liked to add curry paste as I thought it was an authentic way to cook. But, after reading the Hot Thai Kitchen recipe, I’m surprised curry paste is not required!
Based on her version, I skipped chilli and kaffir leaves. I used a little bit more fish sauce to replace salt. Of course, if you have all the ingredients on hand, the soup would be more tasty, but, sometimes you just can’t have it all.
Broth to Coconut Milk Ratio , 7 : 3
And for the coconut milk, I used full fat, which is 19% fat. I think skimmed-fat one would be too thin and weak.
About the ratio of broth to coconut milk, some say 5:5, while Pailin’s version is about 6:4, and mine is 7:3. The more coconut milk you use, the richer the soup is.
This soup is on a light side yet aromatic. We just couldn’t stop ourselves from drinking all the soup(we normally don’t!).
Video Recipe of Tom Kha Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
The whole cooking process is very simple: one pot till the end. No bouncing oil, and the aroma is fantastic!
Thai Tom Kha Soup Recipe
The veg here doesn’t matter so much. I just used whatever I had in the fridge. Boil everything together, that’s it!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 wide rice noodles
- 300 g coconut milk(full fat)
- ¾ tsp salted chicken bouillon powder
- 700 g hot water(for soup)
- 1 tsp palm sugar/brown sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 5 cm galangal
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 150 g frozen shrimp, thawed in advance
- 2 big mushroom, sliced
- 4 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- ¼ red pepper, cut into strips
- ½ lime
- white pepper
How to Make
- Cook the rice noodles in boiling water as per instructions, then set aside in 2 bowls. You may want add a little oil to prevent the noodles sticking together.
- Meanwhile, slice the galangal, smash the lemongrass to release the flavour.
- Boil 700 g of water in the same pot, add salted chicken stock powder(or use chicken stock), coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Stir well.
- Add the mushroom, red pepper and Brussels sprouts to cook for 3 minutes. Then add the shrimps and cook until it turns colour.
- Have a taste and adjust accordingly. Pour the soup and contents into the bowls, add some white pepper if desired.
