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Simple and Delicious Spicy Coconut Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2- inch piece of galangal sliced, approx 1/4" ea. *
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice*
  • 1.5 tablespoons lime zest*
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 large or 3 small uncooked chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size pieces
  • 2 13.5- ounce cans coconut milk, Full fat Lite coconut milk makes this soup thin and watery, in other words, not good!
  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce I start with 4 but I usually end up adding up to another tablespoon at the end. (If you're adding more then 4TBSP then add 1 teaspoon at a time)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Garnish: fresh cilantro, thinly sliced green onions, fresh lime wedges, hot chili oil or fresh Thai chilis, thinly sliced.

Instructions

  1. Add 1 can of coconut milk, galangal and water to the pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

  2. Add chicken and let come back up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, skimming the top as needed.

    (FYI: You're skimming the surface just to get the funky stuff that sometimes floats to the surface when you boil chicken. If you don't see anything, don't worry about it :) )

  3. Add remaining can of coconut milk, salt, sugar, lime zest, and fish sauce.

  4. Lower heat and continue to simmer for about 15 min.

  5. Turn heat to high and bring back to a boil. Add ⅓ cup lime juice. Turn off heat.

  6. Taste. Add more lime or fish sauce as desired.

  7. Divide soup among bowls and serve immediately. Garnish individual servings with green onion, hot chili oil or thinly sliced Thai chilis, cilantro, or lime zest/wedges as desired.

Recipe Notes

 

You can buy galangal at any asian foods market. I prefer the frozen galangal just becuse it lasts a lot longer. Tip: I’ve found that holding the piece you want to cut under the faucet for a minute makes it easier to slice.

Tip: Chicken breasts are easier to slice into small pieces if they are partially frozen. If fresh, place in freezer for 30-60 minutes before slicing.

*I have found that 2 limes are sufficient for zest and juice. The juice is typically just over 1/3 cup so we add the remaining lime juice to our individual servings according to taste.