Hand-painted logo of Homer Hilltop Farm featuring vibrant illustrations of various vegetables, including carrots, leafy greens, and radishes, emphasizing organic farming and fresh produce.
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Hand-painted logo of Homer Hilltop Farm featuring vibrant illustrations of various vegetables, including carrots, leafy greens, and radishes, emphasizing organic farming and fresh produce.

From the Hilltop Kitchen – Tom Ka Gai

Recipes

When it’s cold like this, I dream of the hot, sultry days in Thailand swinging in a hammock in the afternoon breezes.

Amazingly, despite the temperature difference, there are a lot of hot soups from Thailand that seem perfectly suited to both the heat of Bangkok and the bitter cold of a winter night in Alaska.

This is my favorite, and you can easily adjust it to suit your tastebuds and heat needs. The mix of red curry paste and coconut is such a wonderful balance and warms you straight to the core.

Bowl of creamy chicken soup garnished with fresh herbs, lime wedges, and colorful spices, placed on a wooden surface with a red bottle and green vegetables in the background.

Ingredients

  • 1 stalk lemongrass (or 3 tablespoons frozen prepared lemongrass)

  • 6 cups chicken stock (make fresh if you can)

  • 1 to 2 chicken breasts (sliced, or 1 to 2 cups roasted chicken or turkey)

  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (sliced)4 makrut lime leaves (fresh or frozen)

  • ½ - 1 tablespoon red chili paste

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1 piece galangal (or ginger, thumb-sized and grated)

  • 1/2 to 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk (good-quality)

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or more to taste)

  • Optional: sliced bell pepper (or cherry tomatoes)

  • Optional: 1 teaspoon brown sugar (to taste)

  • Handful coriander leaves (fresh)

  • Handful basil leaves (fresh)

  • 3 spring onions (sliced)

  • Optional: wheat noodles (or rice noodles, if serving as the main course)

    Directions

    1. Gather the ingredients.
    2. Slice and mince the lower portion of the lemongrass stalk. Retain the upper stalk for the soup pot.
    3. Place chicken broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. If you have leftover chicken or turkey bones, add those too. Bring to a boil.
    4. Add fresh chicken, leftover chicken, or turkey, and mushrooms.
    5. Then add the prepared lemongrass–including the upper stalk pieces–the makrut lime leaves, and red curry paste thinned with a little stock.
    6. Boil 5 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
    7. Turn the heat down to medium.
    8. Add the galangal or ginger, 1/2 can of the coconut milk, the fish sauce, and extra vegetables (if using). Stir well and simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes.
    9. Turn the heat down to low.
    10. Add the lime juice and stir.
    11. Do a taste test. Look for a balance between spicy, sour, salty, and sweet flavors. Start with saltiness, adding more fish sauce if the soup is not salty or flavorful enough, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too sour, add the brown sugar. If the soup is too spicy or if you'd like it creamier, add more coconut milk. If it's not spicy enough, add more red curry paste.
    12. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle a little fresh coriander, basil, and spring onions over each bowl. For an extra kick of flavor, add a dollop of either store-bought or homemade Nam Prik Pao chili sauce.

     

    Tips

    • If you are serving the soup with noodles, it is best to prepare them separately from the soup; otherwise, the soup gets too thick because of the starch from the noodles. Leftovers will also taste better this way.

    • Tom Ka soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months to enjoy at a later time.

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