Thai · soup

Tom Kha Gai

Name: Tom Kha Gai
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken breast, sliced; 2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk; 6 slices galangal; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised; 6 kaffir lime leaves; 3 Thai chilies; 8 oz mushrooms; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 3 tbsp lime juice; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro; 1 tsp sugar

Tom Kha Gai reads umami 6.3, citrus 5.9 and funk & ferment 5.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Thai soup, about 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 7.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Citrus 5.9 · Funk & Ferment 5.6 · Salinity 5.1 · Sourness 5.0 · Marine & Briny 4.5 · Richness 4.1 · Sweetness 3.8 · Heat 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.5 · Earthy 2.9 · Nutty 2.6 · Floral 2.3 · Fruity 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Bitterness 0.6

What's in it (11)

1 lb chicken breast, sliced
2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk
6 slices galangal
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
6 kaffir lime leaves
3 Thai chilies
8 oz mushrooms
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp sugar

Time & effort: about 30 min (15 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 112.4 kcal, 6.3 g protein, 8.1 g fat, 5.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Combine coconut milk with an equal amount of water or light stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
Add bruised galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves, then add chicken and mushrooms and cook through.
Season with fish sauce, lime juice, and a pinch of sugar, then garnish with cilantro and fresh chili slices.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Tom Ka Kai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) — Thai
Thai Red Curry with Shrimp — Thai
Tom Yum Goong — Thai
Thai Green Curry Chicken — Thai
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai) — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, citrus, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.