Tom Kha Kai

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Tom Kha Kai (with decoration)

Tom Kha Kai or Tom Kha Gai ( Thai ต้มข่า ไก่ , pronunciation: [tôm kʰàː kàj] ) is a dish in Thai cuisine . The main ingredients are coconut milk , chicken , galangal ("Thai ginger") and lemongrass . The underlying Tom Kha curry soup can be prepared with a different meat, seafood or vegetarian dish instead of chicken. The variant with chicken is by far the most popular.

Etymology and history

The Thai word tom ( ต้ม ) means “cooked”, kha ( ข่า ) means “galangal” and kai ( ไก่ ) means “chicken”. The Thai word for “chicken” begins with a bare 'k', which many German and English speakers perceive to be more like a 'g' than an aired 'k', which is why it is often transcribed as gai .

Some Thais also call the dish Kaeng Kha Kai ( แกง ข่า ไก่ ), because the preparation is a kaeng , i. H. is a " Thai curry ". In restaurants in German-speaking countries, Tom Kha Kai is often referred to as "Thai chicken and coconut soup" or the like, which, from a Thai point of view, hides the central, taste and name-giving component galangal.

Outside of Southeast Asia, galangal is sometimes confused with ginger , but it has its own taste and gives the soup a specific, slightly sour note. There is a separate term in Thailand for Tom Kha Kai prepared with ginger: Tom Khing Kai. The variant with galangal is more common in Thailand than that with ginger.

At the end of the 19th century, Tom Kha Kai was understood to be a curry dish with a chili dip . There is evidence of a recipe for this for 1890. The dish is also used in Laotian cuisine , which has a lot in common with northern (eastern) Thai cuisine.

preparation

In addition to chicken stock, chicken and coconut milk, mushrooms, fish sauce , galangal, lime or lemon juice, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass are standard ingredients in the soup. Tamarind juice , tomatoes, and onions are often used as optional additional ingredients. The desired heat is achieved with chillies. Galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass are removed after cooking or left on the plate and not eaten. Before serving, the soup is sprinkled with coriander . Alternatively, the coriander can be cooked and other kaffir lime leaves can be used as decoration.

In Thailand, Tom Kha Kai is almost always eaten with rice as the main course (or as one of several dishes served in parallel). In Europe, however, it is often offered as a pre-soup.

Other ingredients can be used instead of the chicken; in Thailand this changes the name of the dish. Shrimp are used for Tom Kha Thale or Tom Kha Kung , mushrooms for Tom Kha Het , pork for Tom Kha Mu and tofu for Tom Kha Taohu .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Zeit.de: The warm-up soup. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Spiegel.de: The flu killer. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
  3. ↑ ThaiFoodMaster.com: An Ancient Siamese Recipe for Tom Kha Pet (1890 AD) Duck Simmered in Light Coconut Cream and Young Galangal, and Served with Sour-Sweet Roasted Chili Jam. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
  4. ↑ AsianInspirations.com.au: Tom Kha Kai - sweet and rich notes of goodness. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Nidda Hongwiwat: Popular Thai Cuisine . 11th edition. Sangdad Publishing, Bangkok 2015, ISBN 978-974-7588-37-8 , pp. 48 .