Tom Yum Gai is the tasty version of the Thai soup, Tom Yum, made using chicken. Tom yum soup can be made in many ways. For example, if we use shrimp is called Tom Yum Goong. Tom Yum Nam Khon results when you use coconut milk in the broth.
Making Tom Yum Gai is a more complicated than simply substituting chicken for prawns. Tom Yum Gai needs different ingredients than those used in its other variants. To make this soup, visit your nearby Asian food store the ingredients. The soup tastes best when fresh ingredients are used, but you can also buy and store some of them in their dried form, so that you can make the soup any time you want.
Tom Yum Gai Recipe
For four servings, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, chopped
- 3 slices of fresh, or 2 slices of dried, galangal
- 2 tbsp tamarind juice
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
- 15 to 20 Thai chillies
- 1 medium onion, cut into halves
- 2 green onions, sliced (optional)
- 6 slices of fresh ginger
- 2-3 tbsp roasted chilli sauce or chilli garlic sauce
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast half, sliced thin (half pound or 8 ounces)
- 2 garlic flakes, chopped
- 4-5 ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters (optional)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 10 small crimini or straw mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 5 button mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 2 cups water
- Cilantro (Coriander) (to taste)
In a pot, heat the groundnut oil over a medium flame and sauté the chicken, onion (not the green ones), and half the ginger and lemongrass. Sauté until the chicken turns pinkish and the onion turns transparent. Add the chicken stock with water and bring the mixture to a boil and add remaining lemongrass and ginger, fish sauce, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and tamarind juice. Bring it to a boil again and cook for 3 minutes. Then add chilli sauce, mushrooms and garlic flakes. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 7 minutes more. Now add the chillies and tomatoes. After a while, lower the heat even more and add lime juice and green onions. Simmer for a few minutes more. If you wish, you can add more fish sauce too. Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Spicier Tom Yum Gai and Variant
If you like spicier foods, you can chop the chillies. If you keep the chillies whole, the soup will be mild. Dried chillies are even spicier; if you add them, remember to reduce the quantity by two thirds. You can also add tofu along with chicken, if you like. Cube the Tofu and sautéd it along with chicken.
Preparation time for Tom Yum Gai soup is around half an hour.
