Tom kha gai is one crazy tasty bowl of creamy delicious Thai chicken soup. This is sort of that recipe. But not quite.
Confused? Understandable. Think tom kha gai. Add the satisfying slurp of noodles. That’s everything good. In one big bowl of delicious noodle soup. That’s what this is.
The gentle heat of Thai red curry. The sour tang of lime leaf. Tender bits of chicken. And rice noodles. All wrapped up in creamy coconut milk. Irresistible.
This is a story about the noodle dish that wasn’t. But should have been. I really don’t get why this one isn’t huge.
Some day I’ll serve this at my imaginary food truck. And my imaginary customers will line up as far as the eye can see.
Balanced – in that magical south East Asian way
Tom kha gai noodle soup hits you from all directions. Bit of a flavour bomb. A lot of things going on.
Hot. Sour. Salty. Sweet. In balance. Those four flavours shape south east Asian cuisine. At least that’s what I think of when I cook food from this part of the world.
It’s not the whole story. But it is a big part. Often helps me find my way. Culinary guard rails really.
Goes like this. Hmmm… Something’s not quite right. Stop. Taste. One of the four need tweaking? Adjust. Taste again. That thinking has saved me more than once.
This one is a perfect example. It’s hot. Sour. Salty. And a little bit sweet.
Noodling on tom kha gai
This is where I’d normally tell you a story about the history of tom kha gai noodle soup.
How it dates back to the 13th century. Invented for a banquet at the court of King Ramkhamhaeng.
I’d say this is a recipe handed down generation to generation by the chosen ones. The tom kha gai noodle soup secret society. An organization that has kept the faith for a thousand years.
Except that tom kha gai noodle soup doesn’t exist. It’s not a thing. Not yet anyway. But I think it will. Someday. Somehow. This one is too good to contain.
To be fair – the only reason I know is because I went to lunch with a couple of buddies. They both ordered tom kha gai noodle soup.
I asked for a spoonful. Just a little taste of broth. Put it into my mouth. And my world exploded…
Authenticity score 2. Deliciousness score 9. That’s OK with me. Delicious trumps authentic. Every. Single. Time.
So I don’t care. And I’m guessing you won’t either. One spoonful of this broth. And you will know.
Restaurant hacks for the win
Truly great Thai restaurants make their own pastes from scratch. The rest of them use stuff they can buy. Turns out you can buy the same stuff.
Weeknight dinner meets restaurant hack. Easy. Seriously tasty. The ideal formula for weeknights. Fast in a restaurant. And fast in your kitchen.
Thai red curry paste. That’s the first piece of the puzzle. You can get it just about anywhere. And you can use it all over the place.
Thai red chicken curry. Obviously. Seriously amazing pork burgers. Slide a bit into a stir fry. Toss it with green beans for a spicy side. It’s handy stuff to have around.
Tom yum paste for the win
Traditional tom kha gai calls for galangal, lemongrass, chilies and kaffir lime leaves. That’s a trip to an Asian grocer. And a lot of work. Every time you want this soup.
Or you can go to the Asian grocer once. Buy a jar of tom yum paste. Hot and sour soup paste. Has all the ingredients built in.
No shopping. No chopping. And no grinding. Just open up a jar and go. Easy. And I genuinely like it. Even though it’s from a jar.
Purists will stop reading now. I respect that. But that makes me a bit sad. Because they will miss out. Or make it on a weekend I guess. Without the noodles I bet.
But I’ll eat mine on a Tuesday. With noodles. I’ll serve it to friends on Saturday. And I’ll sleep well. With a full belly. And a smile on my face.
Use tom yum paste here. Make tom yum soup. Or just mix it with some boiling water in a mug for a salty sour treat. It’s tasty stuff. And it keeps forever.
A hint of sweet
I don’t have a sweet tooth. My dentist checked. So it took me a long time to learn a very important lesson.
A bit of sugar in a savoury dish can be amazing. Transformative. As little as a teaspoon can completely change a dish.
I can’t describe it. You have to taste it to understand. Sugar has a super power. It can take a savoury dish from really good to incredible. Culinary alchemy.
This is one of those times. Without sugar this dish has a great balance of savoury, spicy and sour. You would think that would be enough.
Turns out it’s not. It’s tasty. But it doesn’t quite hang together. It’s just a bit too jangly.
Add a little sugar and everything changes. The flavours come together. Complex. And harmonious.
Try one teaspoon to start. That keeps things subtle. Does the trick without anyone realizing.
Two teaspoons is right for me. Not sweet. But noticeable. If you know what to taste for.
The restaurant I stole this recipe from uses more. A lot more. It starts to get noticeably sweet at around a tablespoon.
I can’t tell you what’s right for you. You’ll need to creep up on it and decide for yourself.
Great noodles for great noodle soup
This is a noodle soup. So the noodles are important. Really important. Which means you need to nail them.
Rice noodles can be tricky. Underdone rice noodles are hard. Just terrible. Overdone rice noodles are mushy. Slightly less terrible.
When you nail them they are great. It’s not hard. You just need to pay attention.
Ignore the package
Step one. Don’t read the instruction on the package. Seriously. I think water must boil at a different temperature in Thailand. All I ever get is pure mush.
Step two. Make everything else first. Chicken poached and sliced or shredded. Broth simmering on the stove. Garnishes at the ready. Serving bowls at hand.
Step three. Understand every brand is different. That’s important. You will need to learn your brand. It’s super annoying. But it’s a fact. At least now you know.
Bring a big pot of water with a strainer to a roiling boil. Or have your oven mitts handy. You are setting up for how you normally cook pasta.
Add the noodles. Cook for 30 seconds. If they are still hard cook them another 30 seconds. You are going for toothy. A little bite. A bit of chew. That’s perfect.
Noodles straight into a bowl. Hot broth ladled overtop. Chicken and garnish next. Hustle. Shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds total for two servings. A minute max.
Eat. Smile. Repeat once a week or as needed to keep smiling.
I’ve written this pretty much how they serve it at the restaurant I’m ripping off. Chicken. Broth. Noodles. Simple garnishes.
But there’s no reason not to play with this one. If you like it hot add a bit of fresh sliced red chili. The flavour profile will fit right in.
Shiitake mushrooms work great. Just make sure they’re cooked before they go in. Enoki mushrooms work too. Those can go in raw.
Anything that works with tom yum works. Anything that works with red Thai curry works. This one is a canvas awaiting your inspiration.
Shop once – make tom kha gai noodle soup often
I like complicated recipes. I go the distance every chance I get. But I live in the same inconvenient world you do.
The world with Tuesday nights. With busy schedules. Nights I stop to consider ordering highly overpriced takeout that never fails to disappoint.
Which is why I love this recipe. My kind of busy weeknight dinner.
Tom kha gai noodle soup is fast. And easy. Really tasty stuff. And almost no work at all. Especially if you poach your chicken ahead of time.
It’s tasty. It’s dead easy. Takes a couple slightly oddball ingredients. I get that. But those ingredients are versatile. And they keep forever.
Try tom kha gai noodle soup
This one is a little out there in left field. A dish that doesn’t exist. Not yet anyway.
But if enough of us start making it. And we tell our friends. And they make it. Then tell their friends. Then maybe the world will listen.
And then we can order it when we go out for lunch. Or maybe even get it for weeknight takeout. Takeout that doesn’t suck. That would be something.
If you like Asian noodle soups. And if you like Thai flavours. Then I’m guessing you will surprise yourself with tom kha gai noodle soup. Weeknight dinners don’t have to suck.
Tom kha gai
Ingredients
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast – or thighs
- 19 oz coconut milk – that's not the secret amount that leads to success. That's the size of a can where I live. 20 oz is fine 17.3 ounces is also fine.
- 19 oz chicken stock – low or no sodium added. Just pour it into the coconut milk can to measure it out.
- 1 tbsp thai red curry paste – store bought is fine
- 1 tsp tom yum paste – available at Asian grocers
- 2 tsp palm sugar – brown sugar works too. Note that you can add more sugar. I just like it less sweet. A tablespoon is noticeable though so don't go crazy
- 8 oz rice noodles – banh pho
- sliced shallots, sliced green onions, lime wedges – to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water large enough to cook the rice noodles to a boil
- Wisk the stock and coconut milk together and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts (or thighs) to the liquid and simmer gently until they reach 160F for white or 170F for dark. Set aside to rest.
- Strain the liquid if desired and return to the pot. Your call. The broth will have little bits in it. If that bothers you then strain. If you don't care then don't.
- Return the broth to a simmer. Add the red Thai curry and tom yum pastes into a bowl. Ladle in a little of the coconut milk broth and mix to combine. Trust me – it's worth the extra dishes so you don't have to chase bits of curry paste around in the pot.
- Add the red curry/tom yum mixture back into the coconut milk broth along with 2 tsp of brown or palm sugar. Taste. If you like things a little sweeter add another tsp of sugar. If you want things saltier add a bit of fish sauce. You probably won't need it.
- Creep up on both the salt and sugar. Adding more is easy. Taking it away is impossible.
- Slice or shred your chicken. Sliced if you want things pretty. Shredded if you like bigger bites. Sliced makes for nicer pictures but I like shredded better.
- Add the rice noodles to the boiling water. Check after 30 seconds. If they are still toothy let them go another 30 seconds and check again. You want a bit of chew to the noodles.
- When you are happy with your noodles, drain and divide into two large bowls.
- If you sliced and are going for pretty then fan the chicken over the noodles and pour the broth overtop. If you shredded then the chicken can go in when you like.
- Garnish with your choice of sliced shallots, sliced green onion and lime. Enjoy!