The Soup Diva

• 2 medium chicken breasts*
• 32 oz chicken or vegan protein broth
• 2 cans coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
• 1 pkg sliced mushrooms (I like shitake)
• 8-12 slices galangal (about ¼ cup)*
• 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed (or 1 tsp paste)
• 3 green onions
• 2 tbsp fish (or soy) sauce
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves crushed
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• Fresh lime juice for garnish

Add broth, galangal, lemongrass, and garlic to pot and heat to a simmer until fragrant and galangal has softened; discard aromatics. Slice the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, slice the onion whites into thin slices, and add both plus mushrooms, fish sauce, curry paste, and sugar to the broth in the pot. Simmer until chicken is done and onions are soft (around 20 minutes on stove top or 8 minutes in pressure cooker). Stir in coconut cream/milk, salt to taste, and serve when heated through, with sliced onion greens and squeeze of lime to garnish.

*A little background on Tom Kha Gai Thai soup — Tom means soup,  Kha means galangal and gai means chicken; so Tom Kha Gai means “chicken galangal soup.” You can certainly substitute ginger for the galangal or another protein for the chicken, but it won’t be Tom Kha Gai! [If you aren’t fortunate enough to have an Asian market nearby, sliced galangal and lemongrass paste are both available with next-day delivery from Walmart.]

This is my favorite soup from any Asian cuisine, ever; I’m surprised it took me so long to attempt making it at home, because it’s really easy as long as you have the correct ingredients.