Tom kha gai, a chicken soup made with coconut milk and galangal

Ingredients

• 500 g of chicken (white meat or thigh)
• 1 litre of coconut milk (approximately 4 cups)
• 900 ml of water
• 1/2 cup of young ginger, sliced
• 3 stalks of lemongrass
• 6 sheets of combava
• 70 g of shallots
• 1 tablespoon of cilantro root
• 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1/4 cup of bird’s eye chili peppers
• dried chili peppers, prepared to your preference
• 1/4 cup of cilantro

Wash the chicken and cut it into pieces.

Slice the ginger; remove the tough base and outer leaves from the lemongrass, then lightly crush it; and mince the shallots.

Wash the cilantro and chop off the roots; remove the stems from the bird’s eye chilies and place them in the lime juice.

Bring the coconut milk and water to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent them from curdling.

Add the chicken, galangal, lemongrass, kombava leaves, shallots, cilantro root, fish sauce, and sugar, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Enhance the flavor with hot peppers and lime, or dried hot peppers, and add the cilantro.