Thai Coconut Soup, or tom kha, is a classic Thai chicken soup that’s so much more intensely flavored than most western soups, it’ll wake you up, tingle your taste buds and make your nose run (in the best way.)
Thai Coconut Soup (aka Tom Kha) is a classic Southeast Asian classic
This soup is completely different from all the other soups that I make and that’s why I love it. The flavor profile is pure Thai, but it’s completely attainable in a Western kitchen thanks to a few key ingredients readily available in most supermarkets.
The basic ingredients in Thai coconut soup ~
These flavors form the backbone of this soup, they’re simple yet powerful…
- chicken stock
- coconut milk ~ buy full fat coconut milk in the can.
- curry paste ~ The soup gets its beautiful salmony color from red curry paste (Thai curry paste comes in red and green varieties.) I was happy to discover them in new smaller 4 oz sizes, which is perfect for someone who cooks Asian food only occasionally.
- fish sauce ~ don’t skip this for authentic flavor.
- chili paste ~ I always have a jar in the fridge, it’s an ingredient I use over and over again, not just for Asian recipes.
- Lemongrass or lemongrass paste ~ another ingredient that makes all the difference.
- lime juice ~ fresh!
- cilantro ~ fresh!
- hot peppers ~ any small variety your supermarket stocks.
Additional add-in ingredients for Thai Coconut Soup ~
- chicken ~ feel free to use a rotisserie chicken for convenience
- onions ~ regular onions or scallions
- mushrooms
- baby bok choy
- pea pods
- carrots
- kale
- bean sprouts
- bell peppers
Once you’ve gathered your Thai ingredients you’ll have them on hand for future recipes like my Spicy Thai Spaghetti Salad, and my Thai Beef Salad.
To make a vegan Thai coconut soup
- substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth
- Tamari sauce for the fish sauce
- and tofu for the chicken.
Reader Rave ~
“This is the perfect soup for a gray winter’s day. Thanks for the lovely and luscious recipe :-)” ~Amy
Thai Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable for vegan)
- 1/2 yellow onion, or 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass,upper and outer leaves trimmed off, peeled and halved the long way (or 2 tsp lemongrass paste)
- 2 small hot peppers, sliced thinly
- 1 can coconut milk, full fat
- 1 Tbsp chili paste
- 1 Tbsp red curry paste
- 2-3 Tbsp fish sauce (use Tamari sauce for vegan)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (use tofu for vegan)
- handful of fresh cilantro chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- salt to taste
- minced red bell pepper for garnish optional
Instructions
- Put the chicken stock in a soup pot, along with the onion, ginger, stalk of lemongrass and sliced hot peppers. Simmer over medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, pastes, fish sauce, and chicken. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes so the flavors can meld.
- Add the lime juice, cilantro and salt to taste. Remove the lemongrass and serve.
27 Comments
Morgan
February 23, 2020 at 4:43 pmDark meat or breast? Which is more authentic, I mean?
Sue
February 23, 2020 at 5:20 pmI usually see it made with white, but not sure if that’s more authentic or not ~ go with what you love!
Morgan
February 23, 2020 at 4:42 pmThank you! We just moved, and I don’t know if there are asian markets here, but I have never seen lemon grass in any store, anywhere I have lived. Thanks for the viable substitute.
Crystal Walstad
January 28, 2020 at 9:40 pmI had to substitute a couple ingredients, but the soup was still great!
Beth H
January 28, 2020 at 2:28 pmI made this for dinner a couple of nights ago. It was a huge hit, totally rivaling my daughter’s favorite soup at a local Asian bistro! Great to know we can now make it at home. Love it!! Yours is one of my go-to sites for recipes.
Nikki Moranville
January 27, 2020 at 7:43 amThis was dinner last night. Quick, easy, and my husband (who is NOT a chicken fan) said the chicken in this soup was out of this world! I only had lemongrass paste so that is what I used. This is a keeper!
Sue R
January 23, 2020 at 1:25 pmI’m a big fan of this soup too. I have a couple of tips as I use to cook it in a restaurant and also use to grow it. The best way to get the most flavour out of the lemongrass is to cut the long stringy top off and throw it out, peel it a little then bash the base with a meat mallet a couple of times. No need to halve it. Also for the lady that doesn’t have access to it I’ve often used lemon rind just cut off with a potato peeler instead. Use it in the same way as lemongrass but make sure you don’t have any of the bitter white pith on it.
Donna L.
February 6, 2019 at 4:50 pmHi Sue – This looks delicious! I can’t find lemon grass in my area. Is there something else I can use (perhaps purchase online)? Thank you.
Sue
February 6, 2019 at 5:14 pmHi Donna! There are a lot of flavors going on in this soup, so if you have to leave out the lemongrass it won’t be a huge problem. You can also use lemongrass paste, which comes in a tube or a jar, and might be more available in the Asian section of your local large supermarket.
Shelley
February 21, 2014 at 5:41 amI just discovered your website and seriously loving it! It love Thai coconut soup and this one looks delicious. I buy the larger Thai chili pasts and freeze it in dollops of 1 tbsp. on aluminum foil, freeze it solid and then keep it in freezer bags…this way, you just thaw a dollop as you need it.. Hope this helps. Shelley
Sue
February 21, 2014 at 6:55 amWelcome in Shelley — and thanks for the tip, I should do that with a lot of my more exotic Thai condiments!
Sue
July 30, 2018 at 8:30 pmI love the freezing tip, Shelley, that’s so smart.
Sarah (Snippets of Thyme)
February 10, 2012 at 3:11 amWe absolutely love this dish and you really made it look delicious in your photos! In fact, we need to get to our Thai Kitchen restaurant really soon…we can’t go long without Thai food.
amy@currylime
February 10, 2012 at 1:57 amThis is the perfect soup for a gray winter’s day. Thanks for the lovely and luscious recipe :-)
annie
February 9, 2012 at 2:43 pmI must try this…it looks delicious and I love your photos of the finished soup and the ingredients…so pretty.
Magnolia Verandah
February 8, 2012 at 10:54 amI love Thai flavours whatever the region – one for my cooking journal in readiness for the cooler weather. Lovely!
bemelodious
February 7, 2012 at 10:32 pmThis comment has been removed by the author.
bemelodious
February 7, 2012 at 10:33 pmNice recipe! I just want to make a quick correction that Thai food is technically Southeast Asian food not “East Asian” as you stated in your post. East Asian food would hail from China, Korea, Japan, etc.
A Trifle Rushed
February 7, 2012 at 8:30 pmWhat a fantastic soup, perfect for winter. Lemongrass is widely available in UK supermarkets, ‘thai’ cooking is huge here!
Mary
February 7, 2012 at 8:23 pmThat is absolutely gorgeous soup! I’m not sure what to do with a recipe that does not include garlic though… I probably would have added it without even thinking about it!
Rose
February 7, 2012 at 5:25 pmThat looks yummy! I LOVE and cook Thai food on a regular basis. Living in Vancouver we are lucky enough to be able to get all the ingredients such as lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves easily.
Barbara
February 7, 2012 at 4:59 pmAnd it’s soooooo much fresher than anything you get at a Thai restaurant!
From the Kitchen
February 7, 2012 at 4:29 pmYes, please, to anything in the Thai food area! We are fortunate to have a wonderful Thai restaurant nearby. There are also several Thai grocery stores. Thanks for another delicious recipe.
Best,
Bonnie
Valerie
February 7, 2012 at 4:27 pmWhat a delicious assortment of flavours! (I absolutely love coconut and curries…and food that makes my nose run.) :D
yummychunklet
February 7, 2012 at 3:05 pmI love Thai food, so this soup is right up my alley!
Heather @girlichef.com
February 7, 2012 at 3:01 pmMmmm…I love these flavors! And I can’t go without at least one can of coconut milk in my pantry and a jar of Thai red curry paste in my fridge- love the stuff!
Rebecca Subbiah
February 7, 2012 at 2:53 pmlove this soup