Tom Ka Soup Recipe

You put ‘da lime in ‘da coconut and mix um both together… and you almost have a tom ka soup recipe. Well, not quite, but I love that song!

I am guessing there are as many versions of Tom Ka Soup as there are of matzo ball soup.

Tom Ka Soup is a common menu item in many Thai restaurants, most often being served with chicken and not shrimp.

Well, I was told this was Mama’s recipe and it contains shrimp, though Aloy Modern Thai – the delicious, (aloy means delicious) new Thai restaurant in LoDo, served it with chicken. Go figure!

Truthfully, I know you won’t go wrong with either!

Yes, I’ve been slurping this soup all week and am very happy.

Mama’s recipe must be Thai comfort food at its best.

Tom Kha Gai is Thai coconut chicken soup and is thought to boost one’s immunity which is perfect during the cold/ flu season.

Tom kha contains chicken or shrimp, herbs such as galangal or ginger in my case, mushrooms, tomatoes, and the lime and the coconut!

This sweet and spicy, tart soup with a hint of spice from a favorite chili sauce, satisfies all my inner desires-which is a good thing since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.

It is a satisfying and divine soup that is simple to make.

How to Make This Tom Ka Soup Recipe:

It begins by combining chicken stock or vegetable broth, kaffir lime leaves and creamy coconut milk in a large pot.

Let that simmer 15 minutes and then add in some tomatoes, or red bell peppers, a few sliced mushrooms and some sliced onion.

Use your favorite button mushrooms but lately I’ve been spying oyster mushrooms, straw mushrooms and beech mushrooms at my nearest Whole Foods.

Now add in some sliced, poached chicken breast or shrimp, fish sauce and brown sugar or palm sugar for flavor.

That’s about it except for a good squeeze of fresh lime juice, a dash of chili oil or a spoonful of Thai red curry paste to taste and some fresh cilantro for garnish.

Any of the above can be served on the side as it’s always nice to squeeze your own lime wedge!

Of course, a few minced green onions on top wouldn’t be bad either.

Depending on how much protein you add in the way of chicken or shrimp, this tom kha soup recipe could be a main course.

It is perfect served with a Thai pomelo salad on the side.

Is this an authentic Thai recipe?

The source of this recipe is Mama. And Mama can’t be wrong, can she?

Thai cuisine is one of my favorites and I hope this simple recipe encourages you to try my favorite Thai soup.

Thai ingredients for this Tom Ka Soup Recipe:

This recipe calls for some common Thai ingredients. Sometimes I have these on hand, but this time I didn’t.

I didn’t have Kaffir lime leaves so I subbed in a bay leaf and the zest of a lime.Next time I visit my local Asian market I will buy some lime leaves. They can be stored in the freezer and taken out as needed.

Instead of galangal root I substituted fresh ginger along with a squirt of lemongrass paste from the tube I buy in the fresh produce section of my local grocery store.

Palm sugar can be substituted with brown sugar, though I used palm sugar. Palm sugar does have a lower gycemic index than regular sugar and depending on how you buy it, it may look like sap. The hardened palm sugar is like round-ish sugar cubes and tastes about the same.

Feel free to use chicken or shrimp or both in the recipe.

Don’t have fish sauce? Soy sauce can be substituted, and though there will be saltiness, the flavor will be subtlety different.

When buying ingredients for this flavorful tom ka soup recipe or any other ethnic recipes, I encourage you to buy ingredients from those countries. They give a more authentic flavor.

This sour soup is one of my favorite Thai dishes.

And being that this Thai coconut soup recipe came from Mama…well Mama’s recipes are always the best!

Need More Thai?

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Thai Chicken Salad or Larb

Easy Thai Peanut Sauce

 

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