Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup) — European style

A fragrant Thai coconut soup with chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass and lime — creamy, sour and gently spicy, on the table in about half an hour.

Ingredients (serves about 4)

• Fish

• 400 g chicken breast
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 200 g oyster mushrooms or another type of Asian mushrooms such as shimeji, enoki or fresh shiitake
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 32 g galangal (or ginger), peeled
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 4 red chilies
• 2 spicy chilies
• 4 carrots (optional)
• 1 bunch of (Vietnamese) cilantro (optional)
• 4 cloves of garlic (optional)
• 4 spring onions (optional)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 lime, juiced
• a handful of fresh coriander, to garnish

Preparation

1. Prep the aromatics. Bruise the lemongrass with the back of a knife and cut it into finger-length pieces. Slice the galangal thinly. Tear the kaffir lime leaves slightly so they release their oils. Peel and slice the garlic. Cut both chilies into thin rings; to take some of the heat out of the soup, remove the chili seeds. Peel the carrot and cut it into sticks. Slice the spring onion, separating the white and green parts. Roughly chop the (Vietnamese) cilantro.

2. Build the broth. Bring the chicken stock and coconut milk to a gentle simmer in a pot. Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and garlic, then let it infuse over low heat for about 10 minutes — don't let it boil hard, or the coconut milk can split.

3. Add the chicken, mushrooms and carrot. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and tear or slice the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Add these along with the carrot and simmer gently for about 8–10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the carrot is tender.

4. Season. Stir in the fish sauce and palm sugar, then take the pot off the heat and add the lime juice and both chilies. Taste and balance: it should be creamy, sour and salty all at once, with a little heat behind it.

5. Serve. Ladle into bowls, fish out the woody lemongrass and lime leaves if you like, and scatter with plenty of fresh coriander, the spring onion and (Vietnamese) cilantro. Good with steamed jasmine rice on the side.

Notes

The soul of Tom Kha Gai is the trio of galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves — galangal is sharper and more piney than ginger, and it's worth seeking out at an Asian grocer (it also freezes well). Ginger works in a pinch, but the soup tastes a little less authentic. The lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves are aromatics, not meant to be eaten — leave them in for serving or fish them out, as you prefer.

The balance is everything: keep tasting and adjust the fish sauce (salt), lime (sour) and sugar (round) until it sings. For more heat, leave the chili seeds in or add a spoonful of Thai chili paste (nam prik pao). For a vegan version, swap the chicken for firm tofu and oyster mushrooms, use vegetable stock, and replace the fish sauce with a light soy or a vegan fish-sauce alternative — note that this changes the allergen profile (soy instead of fish).