Tom Kha Goong

Tom kha goong soup, also known as Thai coconut shrimp soup, is a flavor-packed bowl of comfort! It's easy to make, and absolutely irresistible.

Prep: 15

Cook: 45

Total: 1

Yield:6 servings

Equipment

Large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
Large wooden spoon
Slotted spoon

Ingredients

For the Tom Kha Goong

1 tablespoon refined coconut oil solid or liquid
1 cup thinly sliced white onion half of one medium onion, sliced; approximately 8-10 thin slices
2 cloves garlic peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced red jalapeño pepper half of one red jalapeño pepper, sliced; or 1-3 Thai chiles, halved
3 ¼-inch-long slices fresh galangal
1 lemongrass stalk approximately 20g; pounded with side of knife, then cut into 2-inch long pieces
2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste plus more to taste
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth see Notes
4 cups unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk from can, not carton; see Notes
8 ounces white mushroom caps sliced
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce more or less to taste, see Notes
1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar see Notes
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice see Notes
1 pound shrimp fresh or frozen; peeled, deveined

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

thinly sliced green onions
chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Place large, heavy-bottomed pot on stovetop over medium heat. When pot is warm, add 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil and swirl or tilt pot as needed to distribute oil across entire surface. Continue heating pot until oil is melted, hot, and shimmery.
When oil is hot, add 1 cup thinly sliced white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons sliced red jalapeño pepper, 3 ¼-inch-long slices fresh galangal, 1 lemongrass stalk, and 2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste to pot. Stir to incorporate, then sauté ingredients 5 minutes or until onions have softened. Stir ingredients frequently to prevent sticking or burning.
When onions have softened, pour 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth into pot and increase temperature under pot to medium-high. Stir to incorporate broth, making sure to scrape bottom of pot to loosen any ingredients that may have stuck during sauté.
Bring chicken broth to rolling boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 30 minutes, use slotted spoon to remove large garlic pieces, onion slices (optional), lemongrass pieces, and slices of galangal. Discard aromatics.
Remove pot from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Pour 4 cups unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk into cooled mixture and stir to incorporate, then return pot to stovetop over medium-low heat.
Add 8 ounces white mushroom caps to pot. Stir to incorporate, then simmer mixture 3 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms have softened.
Add 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce, 1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice. Stir to incorporate additions, then simmer mixture 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, taste mixture and adjust fish sauce, coconut sugar, and lime juice as desired.
When satisfied with flavor of mixture, add 1 pound shrimp to pot. Stir gently to incorporate, then simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque, lightly pink, and curled into slight "J" shape.
When shrimp is cooked through, immediately portion soup into serving bowls. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and chopped fresh cilantro if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Galangal Root: If you can't find galangal, you can replace it with an equal amount of fresh ginger root. The ginger will give the soup a different flavor, though, so keep that in mind.
Coconut Milk: Be sure to use coconut cream or coconut milk. Coco lopez, cream of coconut, and coconut creamer are not the same as coconut cream or coconut milk and will not work in this recipe.
Lime Juice: To replace the lime juice with lime leaves, cut the leaves into 2 pieces (cutting away the center vein), then stack all the leaf pieces on top of each other. Roll the leaves tightly, then slice the roll into very thin slices. Sprinkle the sliced leaves into the soup in place of the lime juice.
Shrimp: For the chicken version of this soup, see our recipe for the best ever Tom Kha Gai.
Make it Whole30: Use compliant chicken broth. Use 2 tablespoons coconut aminos instead of coconut sugar. Use Red Boat fish sauce - this is the only sauce I've found to be compliant.
Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Use vegetable stock, preferably an Asian variety. Use a 1-pound block of firm or extra firm tofu (regular or silken) cut into bite-sized cubes. For vegan, use soy sauce (to taste) instead of fish sauce.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Cheryl Malik