Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Ginger Soup)

I have three pounds of chicken backs simmering on the stove in some water. I make stock like my mother taught me–chicken backs and necks ($1/lb at Whole Foods), water to cover, and simmer for an hour or two. Chicken backs and necks, besides being cheap, make really flavorful stock (I keep meaning to pick up some feet at the Asian market to throw in as well). I don’t put flavorings in the stock as cook it, because I like it to be usable for a variety of purposes. Since I normally use stock for soup or rice, I add other flavorings when I use it.

Today I made tom kha gai, which is a lovely coconut milk and chicken broth based soup. My version is nontraditional for a variety of reasons, the primary one being that I far prefer ginger to galangal, so I use ginger. I also leave out the mushrooms, since I don’t like them. When I first started making this, I had no access to fresh lemongrass, so I used dried lemongrass steeped in water (almost pointless), before moving on to a hideously preserved but better-tasting lemongrass paste. Now that I have a source for fresh lemongrass, I use that. This is the first time I’ve actually had kaffir lime leaves to put in, but I also like the lime juice flavor, even though it’s non-traditional. This is one of my favorite soups, especially when I’m sick. I make it fairly mild, but I’ve had tom kha gai in restaurants that nearly killed me.

So in sum: this is NOT your traditional tom kha gai recipe, but it’s easy to modify to be more traditional.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Ginger Soup)

1/2 – 1 lb chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced (optional)
1 handful mushrooms of choice (optional)

2 c. chicken broth
1 14-oz. can coconut milk (Thai Kitchen is my favorite)

Peanut oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 inch ginger, sliced
4 inches lemongrass, peeled and sliced
Thai red curry paste to taste or a few Thai bird’s-eye chilies (optional)

Fish sauce to taste
Lime juice to taste
2-4 kaffir lime leaves, torn, to garnish

1. Slice chicken, onion, and mushrooms. Set aside.

2. Slice ginger and garlic. Peel the hard outer leaves of lemongrass off and discard. Cut lemongrass into two inch pieces and halve pieces lengthwise. Crush a little bit with a knife handle.

3. In a saucepan, heat a little peanut oil. Add ginger, garlic, and lemongrass and saute until fragrant. Add curry paste (if using) and saute until it’s mixed in. The curry paste will probably stick, so stir quickly and don’t cook it too long.

4. Remove pan from heat and slowly add chicken broth. Return to heat, add coconut milk, and bring to a simmer.

5. Add fish sauce to taste and juice of about half a lime.

6. Add chicken, mushrooms, and onion and simmer until cooked through. Check flavor and add more lime juice and fish sauce if desired.

7. Add kaffir lime leaves and simmer a few more minutes before removing from heat.

Notes: The lime leaves, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass should not be eaten.

For a more traditional tom kha gai, substitute galangal for ginger and leave out the lime juice. If you don’t have kaffir lime leaves, you can substitute lime zest or bay leaves (both of which taste quite different) or simply leave them out. For fresh lemongrass, you can use dried (2 tbl in 1/4 c. hot water, filter out the leaves) or about a teaspoon of lemongrass paste (available at most U.S. chain grocery stores; try not to think about the preservatives. I have seen galangal at Whole Foods on occasion, and I have sometimes seen small pieces of lemongrass sold for exorbitant prices at chain grocery stores, although I don’t know what the quality is like. Kaffir lime leaves either have to be mail-ordered or bought at an Asian market. Supposedly they freeze well, but I find the frozen ones to be far less fragrant.