• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Therapist Cooks
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easy Springy Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easy Springy Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Recipes » Food

Thom Kha Soup {tangy coconut thai soup}

Published: Feb 11, 2013 Last Updated: Sep 2023 by Lindsay This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and enjoy. 1 Comment

Jump to Recipe
No ratings yet

Spoonful of soupTHIS 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!

Ingredients

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

Start stock in a pot

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.

Add ginger to stock

Add lemongrass to stock

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.

Thinly slice pepper

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

Cube tofu really small

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

Chop and separate scallions

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

Add coconut milk to flavored stock

Stir together, and add the tofu!

Add tofu to coconut milk mixture

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 soup simmer

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.

Add scallion greens to finished soup

Stir in the cilantro....

Add cilantro to finished soup

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

Add lime juice last to soup

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!

Ladle hot soup into bowl

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

Top soup with extra oil

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.

Soup topped with oil

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

Spoonful of soup

 

 

 

 

Recipe

Thai Coconut Soup

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients
  

  • 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
 

  • Bring the stock, ginger, and lemongrass to a simmer in a soup pot. Add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the coconut milk and return to a simmer, about 5 minutes more.
  • 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!
  • Right before serving, add the lime juice, scallion greens, and cilantro leaves, if desired.
  • Serve drizzled with chili oil and extra cilantro. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 4g
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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

More Food

  • Skillet with spring veggie risotto surrounded by floral napkin and purple flowers.
    Spring Vegetable Risotto with Leeks
  • Smoked salmon charcuterie board with scallion cream cheese and pickled red onions.
    Smoked Salmon Charcuterie Board
  • A collage of recipe images for Master's viewing.
    Easy Master's Party Food Menu
  • Small white bowl of cream cheese and scallions.
    Scallion Cream Cheese

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Image of Lindsay Howerton-Hastings smiling sitting on dark gray couch wearing chambray blue shirt.

Hi! I'm Lindsay. I'm a maternal mental health therapist, a recipe developer, food writer, and taker of all kinds of pictures. Thank you so much for being here! This blog is about how to take care of yourself and your people without taking anything too seriously.

More about me →

Easy Weeknight Dinners

  • Weeknight Korean Chicken Rice Bowls

  • White ceramic skillet with lemon garlic butter pasta topped with fresh parsley.
    Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta

  • tofu rice bowls
    Pan Fried Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce

  • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Most Popular Recipes

  • Black skillet with sliced steak and shallot sauce.
    Cast Iron New York Strip

  • indian butter chicken served with rice in a white bowl.
    Easy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

  • homemade hibachi shrimp bowl in white serving bowl with asparagus and white rice.
    3-ingredient Hibachi Shrimp

  • white plate of asparagus casserole with a silver fork.
    BEST Easy Asparagus Casserole

  • Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Lemon
    One-Skillet Chicken and Leeks

  • Brown Butter Blondies

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About
  • Privacy Policy

Emails

  • Sign Up! to get new recipes in your inbox

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required