Coconut Shrimp Soup (Tom Kha)
This Thai-style soup is brothy, fragrant, and delicately flavored. While tom kha is typically made with chicken (in which case it’s known as tom kha gai), I like making it with shrimp as a change of pace. This soup reheats very well, and I find the flavors deepen over time. If you plan to serve it a day later, don’t add the shrimp until you’re just about ready to serve the soup. Instead, reheat the soup and add them for the last few minutes of cooking.
This Thai-style soup is brothy, fragrant, and delicately flavored. While tom kha is typically made with chicken (in which case it’s known as tom kha gai), I like making it with shrimp as a change of pace. This soup reheats very well, and I find the flavors deepen over time. If you plan to serve it a day later, don’t add the shrimp until you’re just about ready to serve the soup. Instead, reheat the soup and add them for the last few minutes of cooking.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)
- 3 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp (peeled (tails left on) and deveine
- 1 cup canned straw mushrooms (undrained)
- 13.5 oz full fat coconut milk (1 can)
- 6 slices to 8 thinfresh ginger
- 2 whole red thai chiles (optional)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh lemongrass
- 1 lime (zest and juice)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes)
- lime wedges (for serving)
- Carbohydrate 1.06043833283408 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.00117166666849262 g
- Fiber 0.0039739583568182 g
- Protein 0.458960938419696 g
- Saturated Fat 0.000351666667214454 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (162g)
- Sodium 694.838980576248 mg
- Sugar 1.05646437447726 g
- Trans Fat 0.000191666667031858 g
- Calories 6 calories
Step-by-step
- In the Instant Pot, combine the broth, shrimp, mushrooms and their liquid, half the coconut milk, the ginger, chiles (if using), 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, the lemongrass, honey, and salt.
- Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set the pot at LOW pressure for 1 minute. At the end of the cooking time, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, remaining coconut milk, the lime zest, and lime juice.
- Divide the soup among four serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges alongside for squeezing.
Standard ingredient listings cannot convey how high-pressure environments alter volatile aromatics like lemongrass and galangal, forcing them to infuse liquids in fractions of conventional simmer times. Gentle heat extraction normally requires twenty minutes of simmering, but a closed chamber operating under low pressure forces flavors into the broth rapidly while protecting fragile shrimp from rubbery over-coagulation. Pressurizing shrimp for longer than one minute at low pressure destroys their delicate structural proteins, yielding a tough texture.
Mastering Make-Ahead Storage and Reheating
Residual heat degrades seafood rapidly, meaning leftovers require strict separation protocols to remain palatable for up to forty-eight hours in refrigeration. Strain solid aromatics like ginger slices and whole chiles before chilling the remaining broth to prevent bitterness from intensifying overnight. Separate protein handling prevents dry seafood; remove shrimp entirely if storing the base, then drop raw crustaceans into simmering liquid for two minutes right before service. Full-fat coconut milk contains enough emulsion stabilizers to resist separation during gentle warming, provided the pot never reaches a rolling boil after the dairy addition.
- Swap chicken broth for vegetable stock at a one-to-one ratio when modifying the base for vegetarian diners.
- Substitute firm pressed tofu cubes for shrimp by simmering the blocks for five minutes at low pressure.
- Add an extra splash of fresh lime juice off the heat to revive volatile citrus notes lost during storage.
