Food and drinkTom kha gai in Thai
Tom kha gai, ต้มข่าไก่dtôm-kàa-gài, is chicken simmered in coconut milk with galangal.
tom kha gai (chicken in coconut milk soup with galangal) noun
- dtôm falling
- kàa low
- gài low
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Classifier: ชามchaam · bowl; counting word for bowls
How to use it
Chicken and mushrooms simmered in coconut milk with galangal, ข่าkàa, the ginger-like root that gives the soup its name, plus lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, soured with lime juice. It's creamier and milder than ต้มยำdtôm-yam. As with tom yum, the slices of galangal and lemongrass are for flavour, not for eating.
With mushrooms instead of chicken it's ต้มข่าเห็ดdtôm-kàa hèt.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- tom kha gai
- tom kha kai
- tom ka gai
- tom kah gai
- tom kha
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones