Tom kha soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 1 small bundle cilantro
- 6 stalks of lemongrass
- 3 shallots
- 1 red chili pepper
- 50 grams galangal root (or ginger)
- 25 grams palm sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 12 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 generous hands of mushrooms, we used shimeji and white button mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2-3 limes, juiced
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 a zucchini
Story
Allergens
For 3-4 persons:
Begin by preparing all the soup’s ingredients. Wash the cilantro and remove the upper portion of the stems, setting them aside for garnish – you just want to use the roots here. Cut the lemongrass off where the white base portion ends and discard the tops. Pound the lemongrass until they crack open. Slice the shallots in rings. Peel and cut the galangal into chunks and pound it until it releases a little liquid. Tear the lime leaves into smaller pieces. Slice the mushrooms. Peel and smash the garlic. Cut chili pepper in large chunks.
In a medium saucepan, place the coconut milk, cilantro roots, lemongrass, shallots, 3/4 of the chili, galangal, sugar, lime leaves, and garlic. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, with a lid on.
Strain soup through a sieve into another saucepan. Discard all solids. Add the sliced mushrooms and fish sauce to the soup. Add water and lime juice bit by bit (to taste) until it has the right consistency. You want the soup to be light, but still creamy and flavorful. Bring soup to a light simmer again just to cook the mushrooms slightly. Do not boil. Slice the zucchini into ribbons (with cheese slicer) and cut into 1cm chunks. Season the soup to taste with fish sauce, lime or water and serve immediately with cilantro leaves, a slice of chili and the zucchini ribbons. For the non-veggies, also delicous with chicken or shrimps in the soup! Enjoy!
