Tom Kha Shrimp Soup {Tom Kha Goong}

a bowl of tom kha shrimp with a spoon and a napkin

Tom Kha Shrimp Soup {Tom Kha Goong}

An easy recipe for flavorful Thai soup made with coconut milk, chicken broth, and shrimp. Heat is easily adjusted from mild to hot with a chicken variation included.

Course Soup

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 520kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

1 Dutch Oven

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves minced
6 slices galangal This ingredient can be hard to find. I often swap with a 1" piece of peeled ginger with delicious results. However, it does change the flavor profile a bit from traditional Tom Kha.
2 tbsp lemongrass paste
2 tbsp red curry paste
2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
2 cups canned coconut milk use full-fat not light
8 oz button mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp fresh lime juice about 2 large limes juiced
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 stems cilantro
1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined. You can also use 1 lb of thinly sliced boneless chicken breast. *see notes
Optional garnishes: chopped green onions, lime wedges, additional chopped cilantro, and chili oil for drizzling

Instructions

In a dutch oven, heat coconut oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft.
Add the lemongrass paste and the red curry paste and stir to mix.
Add the chicken stock and galangal (or ginger), stir, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Strain the liquid in a fine mesh sieve to remove the aromatics. I prefer to skip this step and just remove the galangal (or ginger root) and keep the onions and garlic in the stock for more texture.
Add the strained liquid back to the pot and bring it to a boil. This is where you would add the thinly sliced chicken breast to the pot if swapping for the shrimp. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low.
Add the coconut milk, mushrooms, cilantro stems, fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar.
Simmer this mixture for 10 more minutes.
Add in the shrimp and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until just pink.
Serve immediately garnished with a lime wedge, cilantro, green onions, and chili oil for drizzling.

Notes

The red curry makes this soup moderately spicy. However, if you don’t like spicy foods at all, you can swap the red curry paste with a mild yellow curry or Massaman curry -or make it extra spicy by sauteing minced jalapenos or Thai red chilis with the aromatics, garnishing with jalapeno slices or adding cayenne pepper, Thai chili paste, or Sriracha.

You may find the saltiness from the stock and fish sauce sufficient, so do not add salt until you’ve tasted the finished soup.

If you have cooked shrimp on hand, feel free to use them, but add the cooked shrimp at the end so they do not overcook and become chewy.
See the "variations" section of the post for more ideas!

Nutrition