Traditional Tom Kha Gai is very complex in flavor and tastes so good because the flavors are perfectly balanced. I haven't tried to get it perfect, but each time I make it I get a slightly different and delicious flavor. This post is a great in depth look at the traditional way to make the soup, and is a good read if you want to understand why you would ever add fish sauce and lemongrass to coconut milk.
Crock Pot Tom Kha Gai
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1 chicken stock 2 coconut milk 3 lime juice 4 ground ginger 5 lemongrass 6 mushrooms 7 red and green thai curry paste 8 fish sauce 9 cilantro 10 chicken |
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups chicken stock
- 3 Kaffir lime leaves (or about 2 teaspoons each of the green and red thai curry paste I used)
- 1-2 stalks of lemongrass, cut into inch pieces and bruise to release flavor
- 2-3 pieces of fresh galangal (I used about 3 teaspoons of my ground fresh ginger)
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (NOT OPTIONAL)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I used juice from a lime-shaped container)
- 1-2 thai chili peppers (this is also in the red curry paste I use, so I don't add anything extra for that. You could use cayenne pepper, but I don't like how hot that makes this soup, and it's not a great flavor)
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- 1 cup (or more) sliced mushrooms
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size strips or pieces
- 2-3 tablespoons cilantro (as garnish before eating)
Directions
1. Put the first section of ingredients in crock pot on high and bring to a simmer.
2. Let simmer alone at least fifteen minutes to enhance flavors.
3. Add mushrooms and coconut milk and bring back up to a simmer.
4. While simmering, cook chicken pieces on stove with a little curry paste (this step is optional, but in a crock pot the chicken can become rubbery; in a pan the sugars caramelize instead of boil away).
5. Put crock pot on low for 4+ hours or on high for 1-2 hours (if you didn't cook the chicken in a pan make sure to check if it's cooked through before eating).
6. Garnish with cilantro before eating and enjoy!
This recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
I get the ingredients for this soup every time I shop for groceries. In fact, I ate this while writing this post! Have you tried this recipe before? If so, what do you do differently? If not, will you try it now?
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Being the impatient, do everything fast, kind of person, I've always made it in a big pot on the stove, not in a crock pot. But I will try it soon.What happens if I leave it in the crock pot for about 8 hours? Will the chicken be rubbery? That's about how long it would be in there if I put it in before I go to work.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I eat this, it takes me back to our trip to Washington when we first ate it. Fun times. :)
Do it on your lunch. The chicken won't be gross or anything, just not that flavorful. I think that first soup was the yummiest I've had so far.
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