Thai soups are often served from a large beautiful soup tureen. This style of serving keeps the unserved soup hot. You ladle the soup into individual bowls and place the cover on the tureen awaiting additional bowls being ladled. I also like to use Asian-style porcelain soup spoons. They stay cool and are pleasant to eat out of. They hold just the perfect amount for each mouthful of soup and add to the expierence of a Thai meal.

Thai soups are some of the most popular Thai dishes ordered in US restaurants. The most common is the Tom Yum Goong/Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup. This basic Tom Yum broth can be used with a melange of vegetables, Thai Won Tons, even chicken or a mixture of various shellfish.

Another very popular Thai soup is the Coconut Milk Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai). This flavourful soothing dish contains both ginger and lemongrass plus the fragrant Kaffir Lime leaves (bai magroot). Of course these ingredients of kaffir lime leaves, giner, and lemon grass are not eaten but give amazing fragrance and flavour to the background of coconut milk. Also the chiles can be eaten or not.

Tom Kha Talay (Fisherman's Soup is another favourite soup of mine similiar to the Tom Kha Gai below.

LEMON GRASS COCONUT SOUP (Tom Kha Gai)

Stock Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk
4 cups water
2 green chiles, slit
1 small piece galangal, sliced
1 lemon grass stalk, minced
1 small onion, sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves

Other ingredients
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrot, julienned
½ cup scallions, sliced
fish sauce to taste
Fresh Lime juice to taste

Garnish with coriander leaves

Method

Place all the stock ingredients in a soup pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and discard the flavouring ingredients.
Bring the broth to a gentle boil again, add the mushrooms, scallions, and carrots and simmer for a few minutes until carrot is tender.

Add fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with coriander leaves

Serves 4