Tom Kha with Shrimp
Thai coconut soup with shrimp, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a lemongrass and ginger broth built on the shrimp shells, finished with lime and fish sauce.
Why you'll love Tom Kha with Shrimp
Tom kha takes its name from kha, the Thai word for galangal, and it is a coconut soup that tastes sour, salty, fragrant, and rich all at once. Lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves perfume the broth, coconut milk gives it a silky body, and lime and fish sauce stirred in at the end make it bright and deeply savory. Shrimp, mushrooms, and tomatoes turn it into a full meal in a bowl.
Shell-on shrimp give the soup its depth. Shrimp shells hold much of the shrimp's flavor, and 15 minutes simmering in chicken broth with the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and shallot turns them into a sweet, briny stock. Everything is strained out before the coconut milk goes in, so each spoonful is smooth broth, tender mushrooms, and shrimp, with no woody lemongrass to pick around.
A soup like this is built on balance, and four ingredients share the work: lime for sour, fish sauce for salt and savory depth, serrano for heat, and coconut milk, whose natural sweetness rounds out the other three. Lime and fish sauce go in off the heat, because their fresh aromas fade when they boil, and added last they stay sharp and bright.
Quick overview: This Tom Kha with Shrimp takes 20 min of hands-on time and about 55 min in all and makes 4 servings, each about 2 cups. You'll need a pot and a fine sieve.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb large shell-on raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells saved
- 3 cups chicken broth Label: chicken, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar, natural flavors, or oil
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- a 2-inch piece fresh galangal, thinly sliced into coins
- 6 makrut lime leaves, torn in half (fresh or frozen)
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk, shaken well Label: coconut and water, with no gums or sugar
- 8 oz oyster or cremini mushrooms, torn or sliced
- 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste Label: anchovies and salt, with no sugar or MSG
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes), plus wedges to serve
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
Instructions
- Peel the shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, dropping the shells into a large pot as you go. Cover the shrimp and refrigerate them until the broth is ready.
- Bruise the lemongrass: Trim the root end and the dry top third from each lemongrass stalk and peel away the tough outer layer. Cut the stalks into 2-inch lengths and smash each piece with the flat of a knife or the bottom of a heavy pan until it splits. Bruising breaks open the cells that hold lemongrass's oils, so they flow into the broth.
- Make the shell broth: Add the broth, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and shallot to the shells in the pot. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes. The shells turn bright pink and the broth smells sweet, briny, and citrusy.
- Strain: Set a fine sieve over a large bowl and pour the broth through it, pressing on the shells and aromatics with a spoon to get every drop. Discard what is left in the sieve and pour the broth back into the pot.
- Simmer the coconut milk and mushrooms: Stir in the coconut milk, mushrooms, and serrano and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium heat, with small bubbles around the edge. Cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Keep it below a hard boil, which can make coconut milk separate.
- Poach the shrimp: Add the tomatoes and shrimp and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp curl, turn pink and opaque all the way through, and reach 145°F (63°C) in the thickest one.
- Season off the heat: Take the pot off the heat and stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste: the broth should be sour, salty, and rich at once. Add more lime or fish sauce a teaspoon at a time until it tastes balanced to you.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro, and serve right away with lime wedges.
Storage and leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container within 2 hours of cooking, for up to 2 days. The shrimp are at their best the day the soup is made, and the coconut fat may set on top when cold; it melts back in as the soup warms.
Reheat gently over medium-low heat just until hot, so the shrimp stay tender and the coconut milk stays smooth. To freeze, make the soup through the mushrooms, cool it, and freeze it for up to 3 months; thaw it in the refrigerator, bring it to a simmer, and add the tomatoes, fresh shrimp, fish sauce, and lime.
Variations
- Tom kha gai: Use 1 1/4 lb of boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced, in place of the shrimp, and make the broth without the shells. Simmer the chicken with the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes, until it reaches 175°F (80°C).
- With more heat: Add a second serrano, or a pinch of red pepper flakes to each bowl.
- With bok choy: Stir 2 heads of baby bok choy, quartered, into the soup with the mushrooms for more greens.
- Mushroom-heavy: Double the mushrooms and use a mix of oyster, cremini, and shiitake for a meatier broth.
Notes and tips
- Find galangal and lime leaves: Asian markets sell fresh galangal and makrut lime leaves in the produce aisle or the freezer case. Both freeze well, so buy extra and keep them frozen; slice galangal straight from the freezer. Lime leaves are for flavor and strain out with the shells.
- Choose shell-on shrimp: The shells make the broth, so buy shrimp with their shells on. If you can only find peeled shrimp, the soup still works with plain chicken broth; it tastes a little lighter.
- Check the fish sauce label: It should read anchovies and salt. Fish sauce brings the savory depth that holds the soup together.
- Check the coconut milk label: It should read coconut and water. Full-fat coconut milk gives the broth its silky body.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Shrimp bring protein along with selenium and vitamin B12, and a few minutes of gentle heat is all they need to stay tender.
- Mushrooms carry glutamates, the same compounds behind the savory taste of aged cheese and broth, along with fiber and B vitamins, which is why they make a broth taste deeper.
- Coconut milk is the real fat in the bowl. Fat slows how quickly your stomach empties, so a creamy soup like this one holds you longer than a clear broth, and it carries the fragrance of the lemongrass and galangal.
- A hot, aromatic broth is best eaten slowly, and a soup with this much flavor gives you a reason to put the spoon down between bites.
- As you eat, notice how the sour lime and the rich coconut take turns on your tongue, and eat the shrimp first. Check in later: a full bowl should keep you satisfied for at least 3 hours, with steady energy and no craving for something sweet afterward.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this Tom Kha with Shrimp? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
How is tom kha different from tom yum?
They start the same way, with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, lime, and fish sauce, and tom kha adds coconut milk. That makes it richer, creamier, and gentler in its sourness and heat.
Many tom kha recipes call for palm sugar. Where does the balance come from here?
From the coconut milk and the cherry tomatoes, which carry enough natural sweetness to round out the lime and fish sauce. Taste before you add the last of the lime, and stop when the broth tastes balanced to you.
Can I use light coconut milk?
Use full-fat coconut milk. Its fat is what gives the soup a silky body and carries the lemongrass and galangal flavors, and RESET360 cooks with full-fat ingredients.
Can I make it ahead?
Make the shell broth up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. When you are ready to eat, bring it to a simmer and finish the soup from the coconut milk on, which takes about 15 minutes.
You might also like
Start with the free guide
The RESET360 starter guide walks you through the plate, the daily rhythm, and your first week, sent straight to your inbox.