Tom kha gai
(Tom kha kai, ต้มข่าไก่, Thai Coconut Soup, Chicken Coconut Soup)
Tom kha gai is Thailand's delicious national dish coming from the central part of the country and bearing the influence of neighbouring Laos. It is a soup whose name translates to boiled galangal chicken soup, consisting of coconut milk, chicken chunks or shreds, galangal (reddish-brown or pink woody plant related to ginger), lemongrass, garlic, bird's eye chili peppers, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and shiitake mushrooms.
Galangal's peppery, pungent, slightly sour and floral flavors provide an interesting contrast to the creaminess of coconut milk, creating a wonderfully aromatic dish in the process. Tom kha gai is highly nutritious with great medicinal properties, such as the ability to soothe the gastro-intestinal tract.
Since the dish is very popular, there are also other versions of the soup - vegetarian, tofu, seafood, and pork tom kha are just some of its varieties. It is traditionally served with rice on the side, garnished with coriander leaves and diced tomatoes.
Pairing tips
Saison
Saison, which translates as season, is a Belgian style ale that originated in the French-speaking region of Wallonia as a seasonal thirst-quenching beer ... Read more
Tom kha gai Authentic recipe
The following is the authentic tom kha gai recipe. It calls for chicken thighs that are simmered in chicken broth for a deeper and richer flavor of the soup. The soup is then enriched with coconut milk and flavored with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, Thai chilis, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice, which flavor the soup while oyster mushrooms give it some texture. The recipe is courtesy of Pailin "Pai" Chongchitnant, a trained chef, creator of the YouTube channel Pailin's Kitchen with ... Read more
WHERE TO EAT The best Tom kha gai in the world (according to food experts)
"Although instincts tell you that hot soup during the humid weather isn't a prudent idea, the aroma and flavour of the soup convinced us otherwise. Fragrant with Thai sweet basil, it's a sweet, aniseed rich soup with pieces of tender, young duck and slippery pieces of young coconut through it and the top layer is a canopy of sweet basil leaves."
"My first reaction was a powerful one: This is the best tom kha gai I’ve ever had. Heck it’s one of the best things I’ve ever had, period!"
"Chicken soup with coconut milk broth scented with galangal, lemongrass and lime. Two of our all-time-favourite Thai dishes that were in fact absolutely perfect."
"I could eat Lemon Tree's tom kha gai, or chicken coconut soup, even if the building were collapsing under my feet."
"If you make it to only one restaurant off the Strip, choose Lotus of Siam, a James Beard Award–winning temple to northern Thai fare such as tom kha gai (spicy and sour coconut soup)."
"The chicken in coconut milk is delicious."
"But Chiang Mai Thai's version of this pungent stew somehow strikes a delicate balance between all of these overpowering flavors. It's less like a punch in the gut and more like a hug from your cashmere sweater-clad grandma."
"Tom kha (coconut soup) here is also very tasty, with lots of mushrooms, which is in keeping with northern style of the dish and just the way I like it."
"Her soups rise far above local standards: Tom kha gai is velvety with coconut milk, fragrant with lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass."
"It is called Tom Kha Kai, that is a traditional Thai soup made with coconut milk, vegetables, lemongrass and galangal (root similar to ginger). After eating this delicious soup, we got our entree(s)."
