For those of you who don’t know, I’m the queen of soups—hot, cold, creamy, brothy, mystery—all soups. With the right ingredients, soup can promote great health. I’m talking about a well-balanced meal in a bowl. It doesn’t get better than that, and they even make the best leftovers. When left in the freezer, they just seem to get better with age, and one such example is the delicious Tom Kha Kai.
I cannot wait to start freezing my favorite comfort foods, in preparation for our little girl’s arrival. What’s better than yummy soup for those sleepless nights? And, Tom Kha Kai is perfect year-round. Got a favorite soup?
Tom Kha Kai
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Model Behaviors
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 3 boneless chicken breasts (diced and pounded out)
- 2 large cans or packages of straw mushrooms (or white mushrooms)
- 6 cups of coconut milk
- 8 cups of water
- 4 long stalks of lemongrass (cut into 3-inch pieces)
- 15 kaffir lime leaves (or 7 tsp of lime zest)
- 25 bird’s-eye chilis (pound out for flavor)
- 2 cups of diced galangal root (or substitute with fresh turmeric)
- 1 large can or 1 cup of sliced bamboo shoots
- 12 tbsp of fish sauce
- 12 tbsp of lime juice
- 4 tbsp of chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Sear diced chicken breasts in a skillet with Himalayan sea salt.
- Wash and pound out chilis.
- Wash and chop lemongrass and galangal root.
- Wash, de-stem, and chop the cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, and mushrooms.
Cooking Instructions - Add coconut milk, water, lemongrass, galangal root, chilis, and kaffir lime leaves in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Add chicken.
- Add mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
- Add lime and fish sauce (the amount can vary each time).
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.
- Use cilantro as a topping.
Notes
Don’t let any of these exotic items scare you away. There are plenty of perfect substitutes available.
Enjoy!
