Dinner · 30 min · thai

Tom Kha Gai

Dinner decisions, handled: Tom Kha Gai pairs chicken thighs with coconut milk for a 30-minute Thai dinner.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Chicken thighs
• 2 cans Coconut milk
• 3 oz Galangal
• 3 stalks Lemongrass
• 6 Kaffir lime leaves
• 4 Thai chilies
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Lime juice
• 8 oz Oyster mushrooms
• 1 tsp Palm sugar

Steps

1. Bruise the lemongrass stalks and slice the galangal into coins — bruising, not chopping, releases their perfume without turning the soup bitter.
2. Simmer the galangal, lemongrass, and torn lime leaves in the thin coconut milk 8 minutes until the kitchen smells unmistakably Thai.
3. Add the chicken and mushrooms; poach gently 10 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.
4. Stir in the thick coconut milk and warm through — never boil after this point, or the coconut splits and the soup turns grainy.
5. Season off the heat with fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar; the balance should sing sour first, then salty, with sweetness only whispering underneath.
6. Float the bruised chilies on top for heat and color.
7. Serve steaming with jasmine rice; the aromatics are for perfume, not eating — warn guests about the galangal coins.

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