Nouranyeh's Recipe

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup -- Tom Kha Gai

Category: Asian

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ of one onion sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
½ of one red jalapeno pepper sliced, or a couple Thai chiles, halved
3 ¼-inch slices galangal or ginger
1 lemongrass stalk pounded with the side of a knife and cut into 2-inch long pieces
2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste
4 cups chicken broth see Notes if vegan or on Whole30
4 cups canned coconut cream or coconut milk see Notes
2 medium chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
8 ounces white mushroom caps sliced
1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar if on Whole30, see Notes
1 ½ – 2 tablespoons fish sauce plus more to taste, see Notes if on Whole30 or vegan
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2-3 green onions sliced thin
fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno or chile, galangal or ginger, lemongrass, and red curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Sauté aromatics then add chicken stock and simmer

Strain out the aromatics (the garlic, onions, lemongrass, and ginger) and discard.

Add in coconut cream or milk, chicken breast and mushrooms. Simmer until chicken breast pieces are just cooked through, then add fish sauce, coconut aminos (or coconut sugar), and lime juice, plus more of each to taste.

Simmer chicken, mushrooms, and coconut milk

NOTE: If using Shrimp or Tofu (instead of raw chicken which takes a consider amount of time to cook), you add those ingredients now and cook 2 to 3 minutes until shrimp is pink in color or the tofu has reached soup temperature.

Ladle finished soup into serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro.