I first had this delicious, spicy coconut soup on a pavement outside a pub in Shepherd’s Bush, London. Thai food has become popular in pubs over the last few years; on a recent adventure up north I found more pubs offering Thai cuisine than hotpots. I had my second taste of tom kha gai in a boozer in Bolton. Then a bowl at Thai street food place Jane-Tira in Soho sealed the deal – I decided it was time I made my own.
Soft, sweet, spicy and satisfying, it has become a work lunch staple, simmering away behind me on the hob as I write at my kitchen table. I’ll add a pile of shredded chicken if there is a carcass left from the weekend, but more often than not I’ll do without. I use ginger in place of hard-to-find galangal, and lemongrass paste to speed things up – it is easy enough to make, and freezes well or keeps in the fridge for around a week.
(Serves 3-4 for lunch)
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for lemongrass paste
10g fresh ginger root, minced
2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
100g spring onions, finely sliced
400g mushrooms, sliced
1 small red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Zest and juice of a lime
1 tbsp light soy sauce
400ml coconut milk
700ml chicken or vegetable stock
A small handful of coriander
Put the lemongrass pieces into a blender with oil and blitz until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil on medium with two teaspoons of the lemongrass paste, the ginger and garlic.
Add the onions, mushrooms, and chilli. Cook on a low, slow heat for a few minutes to soften the onions and take the raw edge off the garlic.
Add the lime juice, soy sauce, coconut milk and stock – you may not want all the stock, so taste as you go.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
Serve garnished with coriander and lime zest.
