Vegetarian tom kha
Local name: ต้มข่า
A Thai coconut soup singing with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime, loaded with mushrooms and finished with lime.
Photo: lydiajoy1 · CC BY 2.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Bring the stock to a simmer with the galangal, lemongrass and four lime leaves, and infuse covered for 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, palm sugar and salt, then hold the soup just below a simmer; never let it boil hard.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until tender but still firm.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes and crushed chillies and cook 3 minutes more.
- Take the pan off the heat before adding the lime juice: over high heat it turns bitter.
- Taste and rebalance the sour, salty and sweet until all three ring clearly.
- Shred in the last lime leaves, add the coriander, and serve with jasmine rice.
The galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves flavour the broth but aren’t meant to be eaten: warn your guests, or fish them out before serving. Traditional tom kha uses fish sauce, replaced here by salt and a well-flavoured stock.
