Instant Pot Thai Coconut Chicken Soup - Tom Kha Gai - Better Than Takeout!

IYKYK - Fragrant, salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and creamy all mingled together to make a perfectly balanced Thai food classic. I am utterly proud of this recipe and doubly happy that it’s all for me since Steve doesn’t like anything with fish sauce in it - his loss.
Try it this way the first time and then make changes to your tastes the next time. Adjust ratios of broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice to achieve your ideal balance.
NOTES:
• HERB POUCH: I get these pouches in a variety of sizes at my local Asian market. You could omit the bag and just throw everything into the pot with everything else, but then you’ll have to fish them out as they are inedible.
◦ LEMONGRASS: Easy to find in any Asian market - fresh or frozen. I buy the already sliced or whole ones frozen, depending on the recipe. If you have whole, untrimmed stalks - peel off any ugly outer layers and trim away the dry, frayed tops. Cut the plump, juicy stalk into lengths to fit into the pouch. Use a mallet or butt of your knife to mash and bruise the stalks before putting them into the pouch.
◦ GALANGAL: Easy to find in any Asian market - fresh or frozen. I bgalangal and ginger when you shop! Even though they look somewhat similar, they are completely different in flavor.
◦ KAFFIR LIME LEAVES: (Also called makrut lime leaves) Hard to find fresh, but they freeze very well. I buy them in frozen baggies at my local Asian market and they thaw out beautifully within a minute on the counter. I’ve also seen dried leaves in jars, but haven’t tried them since the frozen ones are just so good!
• Mushroom Choices: The usual suspects are cremini, straw, beech, and oyster mushrooms. But you can use almost any type that you like. I would only suggest you avoid shiitakes or king oysters as they have a distinct flavor that would take the broth in different direction - at least for me, but you do you!
• SPICE LEVEL: This is 100% up to you. I’m a chili-head so there’s no such thing as too hot for me. It's also your choice to remove seeds or not; seeds don’t bother me. Omit the Thai chilies if you need to, or just add one or two to start and level up the next time. You can also add them to the herb pouch if you don’t want the heat bombs accidentally getting into someone’s bowl. You can always set out chopped chilies for each person to spice it according to their preference.
• Want to make the shrimp version? Here’s a link to my older video showing how I made it with shrimp only (tom kha goong): • Instant Pot Tom Kha Go...
• FYI: In case anyone is wondering - this is a super-KETO-friendly recipe.
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Instant Pot Duo 6qt: amzn.to/43bDS9Q
Today’s Ingredients:
For the Herb Pouch:
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 3-4” pieces and mashed/bruised
6-8 slices galangal root (about 2ozs)
3 large kaffir lime leaf doublets, torn and bruised
For the Soup:
12 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1” pieces
8 oz mushrooms of your choice, quartered or halved if big (cremini, straw, beech, oyster, etc.)
6 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 2 ozs)
0-10 Thai bird chilies, halved lengthwise (more or less to your liking and tolerance)
2 tsp palm sugar (or substitute brown sugar)
2 cups chicken broth (Better-than-Bouillon in the video)
¼ cup fish sauce (Red Boat in the video)
¼ cup lime juice
16 oz coconut milk (100% & unsweetened, 16.9oz container of Aroy-D in the video)
Optionals for serving: scallions, cilantro, chopped chilies, chili oil, lime juice, fish sauce
Instructions:
1. Prepare the herb pouch by filling it with bruised lemongrass, galangal slices, and torn and crushed kaffir lime leaves. Tie or close it up securely and place it into the bottom of an unheated Instant Pot.
2. Layer in the chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, shallot, chilies, and sugar. Pour in the chicken broth and fish sauce. Use a spoon or fork to spread the layers out evenly around the pot without lifting the herb pouch from the bottom. It’s okay if everything is not fully submerged - the steaming and bubbling liquid will reach up to the top layers. [NOTE: Make sure that the pouch at the bottom of the pile so that it get the most direct heat and exposure to the liquid. This will ensure that every bit of flavor will be extracted from the ingredients.]
3. Lock and seal the lid and cook on high for 5 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Then release any remaining pressure and reopen the pot.
4. Stir in the lime juice and coconut milk to combine. Taste and adjust as needed (fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar).
5. Serve with optional toppings and ENJOY!

[@sassy17]

OH MY GAWD. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SOUPS! i ate it like 3x last week. LOL I LOVE YOU! :) Thank you for this.

[@NosieBee]

Thanks, Jen! You're so funny! 💖🐝

[@IndianHemlock]

Wow , looks pretty tasty !! Very different and unique for sure !! Nice job and thanks for sharing Cam !! 😊👍🏼

[@Heidishereandthere]

#7👍 Watching😊❤

[@PDXTundra]

OMG this looks delicious. I live ten minutes from either H Mart or Uwajimaya. I’ll get the ingredients next week 👍. Thanks, Cam!

[@NosieBee]

Thanks, Steve! I would kill to have an HMart that close! My MDOriental is 20 mins away and we just got a huge Lotte 45 mins away. If I had an HMart that close, I'd be there 3x a week! Haha! Thanks so much for watching! 💖🐝

[@Heidishereandthere]

So yummy looking! 😍 Thanks for sharing. Have a good weekend, guys! ❤ Hydra

[@NosieBee]

Thanks, Hydra! You, too!!! 💖🐝