Authentic Tom Kha Gai Recipe & Video - Seonkyoung Longest (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between Tom Kha and Tom Yum? ›

Tom Yum is much spicier, and has a clear broth. Tom Kha uses coconut milk to stabilize and mellow the flavors, making it both sweeter and slightly heavier. While both soups can be made with a variety of proteins, tom yum usually calls for shrimp, while tom kha is commonly made with chicken.

Now that we've established that “tom” means “boiling a broth”, knowing that “kha” means galangal will quickly help us understand that this soup's main ingredient is the galangal (don't confuse it with “king” or ginger now!).

It is a soup that normally includes shrimp. The strong hot and sour flavors makes it very popular in Thai Cuisine. The name "tom yam" is composed of two Thai words. Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means 'mixed'. Tom yum.

Best: Tom Yum Soup

Tom yum has fewer than 100 calories per cup. It also has shrimp, veggies, and fragrant spices, such as lemongrass. Tom yum and other broth-based soups, like tofu-vegetable or wonton, are usually lower in fat and calories than soups made with coconut milk, such as tom kha.

Tom Yum soup is the most popular Thai soup. In Thai, “tom” translates into “boiled” and “yum” refers to the traditional sour, salty and spicy flavor found in lots of Thai dishes.

“Ancient Thais use the word 'som' to describe anything that's sour,” Jangprai remarks, “so you know for sure that a tom som dish will predominantly taste sour.

Ka/krub (rhymes with ha/scrub) – This tiny little syllable is vital if you want to show respect and appreciation when you come to Thailand. If you're a female, you say “ka” and if you're a male, you say “krub”. It is basically the universal word for 'please' and 'thank you', and all politeness in general tied into one.

Knows Thai Author has 3.9K answers and 1.6M answer views. · 1y. “Kha” is what a girl or woman says when she means “yes” in response to a question or comment.

Yum, meaning “mix,” is a hearty dish consisting mostly of meat, fish, or seafood together with many other typically Thai ingredients which may include peanuts, fruit, and herbs.

Originated in Thailand, this is sometimes called Tom Yam and is a soup that normally includes shrimp in a hot and sour serving. The words Tom Yam mean “boiling” or “hot” and “spicy and sour” which perfectly describes this soup. As a staple Thai dish, this famous Tom Yum Goong is served in Thai Square.

Where did Tom Kha originate? ›

Tracing the history of the dish provides a fascinating window into the history of South-East Asia. The earliest recorded variant of this soup was supposedly in an 1890 Thai recipe book which featured a coconut milk-based curry with duck and young galangal called Tom Kha Pet.

Serving Tom Kha Soup

This soup is often served garnished with cilantro and with steamed rice and extra lime wedges on the side. Rice noodles, although not authentic here, would also make a great addition! You will find some versions of this soup with mushrooms, usually straw mushrooms.

The History of Tom Kha Soup. Tom Kha is said to have originated in Thailand hence its name Thai coconut soup. The earliest recorded variant of Tom Kha soup was around 1890 in a Thai recipe book that features a coconut milk-base curry along with duck and young galangal known as Tom Kha Pet.

The flavor of tom yum should be sour upfront from lime juice, then salty from fish sauce, with a mild sweetness from nam prik pao paste. You might not be able to necessarily taste the lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, but these aromatics should hit your nose while you slurp.

Ingredients. Tom kha kai recipes typically include coconut milk, galangal (sometimes substituted with ginger), kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chili, coriander (or dill), straw mushrooms (or shiitake or other mushrooms), chicken, fish sauce, and lime juice. Fried chilies are sometimes added.

The main ingredients of Tom Yum soup are lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal (a type of ginger), chili peppers, lime juice, and fish sauce. Other common ingredients may include shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Tom yam (pronounced 'tom jam') is a clear soup with an intensely sour and spicy flavour. It is made by combining lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal. A portion of meat or fish can also be added, while mushrooms are also a popular choice. All of this is flavoured with fish sauce, lime juice and chilli peppers.