Thom Kha Soup {tangy coconut thai soup}

THIS SOUP.

People.  It's so great.

At my last job, I worked in a town that had a ton of grody fast food options and an amazing Thai/Sushi restaurant.  It was a miracle.  It was delicious, and I ate there a lot.

As part of any meal, a soup similar to this one was served almost as soon as you sat down in this lovely little refuge from fast foo.

It was tangy, creamy, and had different vegetables in it every time you ate it.

I made this version at home last week, and it was DELICIOUS.  There are a few important ingredients often used in Thai cooking, like lemongrass and coconut but, for the most part, the ingredients are really simple!  This only takes about 25 minutes, too.  You'll love it.

Here's what you need:

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (mine was jarred and it worked great!)
• 3-inches fresh or 1 tablespoon grated lemongrass (the stuff in a tube is so helpful!)
• 2 - 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 fresh red or green chili pepper
• chili oil, to taste
• ½ brick tofu or 1 cup shredded chicken
• 2 scallions
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (I didn't have any fresh, so I used the kind in a tube)

I'm so excited to eat this for leftovers now that I'm remembering just how delicious it is!

First, let's make the stock taste all Thai.

Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of fish stock to a small pot over medium heat.  Stir, and let the mixture come to a boil.

While the stock is heating through, thinly slice the chili pepper.  Mine were frozen halves from my awesome grandparents who love me and give me produce.  If you don't like things super spicy, remove the seeds and ribs from the pepper like I did.

Then, cut the tofu into small cubes or shred the chicken.

Thinly slice the scallions, too, and separate the white parts from the green parts.  We'll use both!

When the stock mixture has been boiling for about 10 minutes, reduce the heat and add the coconut milk.

Stir together, and add the tofu!

At this point, drizzle in a bit of chili oil.  Mine was REALLY spicy, so I added 1 teaspoon to the soup and more to serve.  Add as much as you can handle!

Then, add the sliced chili pepper and the white parts of the scallions to the soup.  Stir, and let the mixture come back to a simmer - not a rolling boil.

Let the coconut mixture simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, then give it a taste.  I added another tablespoon of fish sauce here.  You might need more or less, depending on how salty your chicken stock was.

Once the soup is salty enough, add the greens of the onions right before serving.

Stir in the cilantro....

....and squeeze in the juice of half of the lime.

Taste once more, and add more lime juice if you'd like!  We add the cilantro, lime juice, and onion greens right at the end so that they're basically raw and super flavorful when you serve the soup. Now it's time to ladle it into bowls!

I drizzled a little more chili oil over the soup right before serving.

That's it!  You could make this a meal by adding more veggies, some noodles, or extra protein.  I love it as an appetizer or with a salad, though.

Try this soon.  Trust me.  The salty/tangy/spicy combo is SO good, and the creamy coconut milk is delicious.  Enjoy!

Print

What's In This Post

Thai Coconut Soup

---

• Total Time: 25 minutes

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups stock, chicken or vegetable
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh or jarred ginger
• 1 tablespoon grated lemongrass or 3 inches smashed lemongrass
• 3 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 13 ounce can coconut milk
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 brick tofu, cubed, or 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1 fresh chili pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• juice of one whole lime
• cilantro leaves, optional, for serving
• chili oil, to taste

---

Instructions

1. Bring the stock, ginger, and lemongrass to a simmer in a soup pot. Add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk and return to a simmer, about 5 minutes more.
3. Add the scallion whites, tofu cubes, and pepper slices. Simmer for 5 more minutes until heated through. Taste, and add more fish sauce if you’d like!
4. Right before serving, add the lime juice, scallion greens, and cilantro leaves, if desired.
5. Serve drizzled with chili oil and extra cilantro. Enjoy!

• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 20

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4

This is so perfect that I included it in this week’s Weekend Potluck.  It’s this cute thing where blogs from EVERYWHERE can submit recipes to share with others – it’s so fun to check out new things!

It’s run by:

• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• Life As a Lofthouse ~ Holly
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie