Tom Kha Kai is probably my favorite soup of all time. A few years ago a close friend's boyfriend and fellow culinary enthusiast 'El Capitan' showed me his way of preparing it. Since I always get a hot pot of this whenever I go out for Thai food, I was extremely stoked to learn how to make it at home. Although the ingredients were much more exotic than what I was accustomed to, it's a fairly simple soup to make. It takes some time, and a lot of tasting to get the perfect balance of flavors that suit one's own tastes. And it is very, very worth it.
INGREDIENTS
2 quarts low sodium chicken broth, or homemade
5 14 ounce cans of your favorite full fat coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, pounded fiercely with the back of a knife & cut into thirds
8 - 12 kaffir lime leaves, depending on size
3 - 4 inch piece galangal, sliced
~3 palm sugar discs, crushed (this is where your tastes come into play - you may like this soup a tad sweeter than myself)
2 cups snow peas, halved
3 cups broccoli florets
12 - 16 ounces oyster mushrooms, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 - 3/4 cup fish sauce (again, you may want more or less of this, so start small)
juice of 6 - 8 limes
1 bunch cilantro, leaves removed and set aside
lots of sambal, sriracha and chili oil to taste
cooked jasmine rice (optional)
