All the way from my time as a simple Thai food freak to my current incarnation as a Thai food chef-wanna-be, Tom Kha has always loomed large. Done well, it is very much like liquid gold. Liquid gold, that is, in a parallel dimension where gold tastes really, really good. Spicy, tart, savory, creamy and a little bit sweet, it satisfies me to the core and inspires slooooww, languid broth sipping, for fear of the bowl running out before the jones is satisfied.

Thus, before I started learning to cook Thai food, I held tom kha as some kind of mysterious manna, doubtlessly fiendishly complex to prepare and better left to the best native chefs. I mean, jeez, 3/4s of the tom kha I had eaten locally was not great, even from otherwise fine restaurants.

So, in the spirit of personal challenge, I took it upon myself as my first dish to try and recreate when I finally got some good info on what made that cuisine taste like it should. I read a bunch of recipes online, I fretted, I shopped, I doubted my mettle, and I fretted some more.

Finally, I did it. ..and it wasn’t half bad.

The recipe contains no chicken stock, but does contain fish sauce, so it is, unfortunately, riotously un-veggie/vegan. In my case, I’m a pretty weak vegetarian, so I bend like a reed in a pond under the briny wind of the influence of fish sauce in Thai cuisine. It just sort of HAS to be there to set the whole picture in place. If fish sauce you abhor, try Thai thin soy sauce in its place (or double up the Bragg’s).

Tom Kha Het Soup Of The Gods

Prep:
Peel the outer layers from two stalks of lemongrass. Dispose of the root and the driest parts from the top (appx. 8″). Chop the remaining portion into 2″ pieces. Peel and thinly slice a thumb-sized knob of galangal root. Roughly chop 8 medium-sized king oyster (or crimini) mushrooms. Coarsely chop one good tomato

Roughly chop a washed handful each of thai basil and coriander/cilantro leaves. Peel and thinly slice 1 medium-sized shallot. Tear 5 good-sized kaffir lime leaves in quarters. Seed and (VERY) thinly slice 4 (or more) fresh thai bird chilies. Halve two limes.

Execution:
Pour one can of coconut milk into a 2qt saucepan, then fill the can with clean water and pour again. Purists will use all coconut milk for this dish, but I like a bit thinner broth, and more of it. Dial up high heat and add the lemongrass and galanga. Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and add the lime leaves.

When all is smelling fragrant and beautiful, either fish out the aforementioned herbs with a spider/slotted spoon if you are not into culling inedibles from your soup as you eat, or leave them in for better flavor and more authenticity. Thai people are more than used to eating around such obstacles. Come on, buck up and leave ‘em in.

Now, add the mushrooms, tomato and shallot to the boiling broth. Once the mushrooms have begun to soften, add half of the basil and cilantro, 4 good blasts of fish sauce, and two squirts of Braggs (which, in this instance, fills in for the chicken flavor). Squeeze in the juice of one lime. Let simmer for about a minute, then add the bird chilies and taste the broth.

Add lime juice for tartness, fish sauce/braggs if more flavor and salt are needed, a pinch of sugar if the heat or sourness is too much, etc. You want lots of flavor, but maintain balance.

Finally, turn off the burner, add the rest of the herbs and a splash of lime, stir, and allow to cool to an edible temperature. Prepare to be engulfed in all that is good.

My new camera is arriving tomorrow. Expect this blog to get a whooooole lot more colorful, come tomorrow. Up next, the first in a set of reviews of the damn good, damn cheap restaurants I’m blessed enough to live within staggering distance of.

Cheers,
-GC

Filed under: Recipes

2 Responses to “Like Chicken Soup For The Soul, Sans Chicken: Vegequarian Tom Kha Het Soup”

1. Jennifer Says:
   October 29th, 2005 at 3:25 pm

   I tried out this recipe last week… and it was fabulous! I used chicken broth (would that be doing the limbo for the bending reed?) and lots of herbs, and it was fantastic! Thanks…

2. George C. Says:
   October 30th, 2005 at 2:15 pm

   Great to hear! I’m still trying to get tom yum (the coconut-less version of this soup) down without the chicken broth.. It seems harder to pull off without the fullsomeness of the coconut milk. Vegetable stock always seems a little too herbal.

   Someday I’ll get it, and post it!

Leave a Reply