Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha) - Your New Cold Weather Comfort Food

When I was growing up on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, I was no stranger to winter gloom. Through high school, I worked in the box office of a small local movie theater. My workplace was a tiny cell barely larger than a coffin, unheated, with glass walls and a wicket window that let each winter's cold wind whip through. Every evening, I looked forward to my dinner break after the 7pm show began. That's when I'd walk to my favorite restaurant in town, a Thai place, which was a couple of blocks away. My order: Tom Kha soup with rice. Back at my workplace, the warm flavors of coconut milk, ginger, lime and lemongrass combined to create a brightness that cut through the gloom, warming me from within. It never disappointed!

Now, a few decades later, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that this delicious winter soup can be made in about 20 minutes. And if it never tastes quite so good as they made it in that restaurant, that's ok! It's still pretty great, and each spoonful still provides that much-needed winter dose of comfort and spice.

Easy Tom Kha Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cans (14 oz each) coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

3-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced thin

3 stalks lemongrass, bruised and chopped (or 2 tbsp lemongrass paste)

4-5 kaffir lime leaves (optional, but worth finding)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 lb shrimp or chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

2-3 Thai chilies or 1 jalapeño, sliced

2 tbsp brown sugar

Juice of 2 limes

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

In a large pot, bring coconut milk, broth, ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaves to a gentle simmer (10 minutes).

Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes until tender.

Add shrimp/chicken and chilies, simmer until protein is cooked through (3-5 minutes).

Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately.

Pro tip: Remove the ginger and lemongrass pieces before serving, or warn guests they're not meant to be eaten!

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s weekday newsletter.