Jack Monroe’s tom kha gai soup recipe

I first had this delicious, spicy coconut soup on a pavement outside a pub in Shepherd’s Bush, London. Thai food has become popular in pubs over the last few years; on a recent adventure up north I found more pubs offering Thai cuisine than hotpots. I had my second taste of tom kha gai in a boozer in Bolton. Then a bowl at Thai street food place Jane-Tira in Soho sealed the deal – I decided it was time I made my own.

Soft, sweet, spicy and satisfying, it has become a work lunch staple, simmering away behind me on the hob as I write at my kitchen table. I’ll add a pile of shredded chicken if there is a carcass left from the weekend, but more often than not I’ll do without. I use ginger in place of hard-to-find galangal, and lemongrass paste to speed things up – it is easy enough to make, and freezes well or keeps in the fridge for around a week.

(Serves 3-4 for lunch)

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for lemongrass paste

10g fresh ginger root, minced

2 fat cloves of garlic, minced

100g spring onions, finely sliced

400g mushrooms, sliced

1 small red chilli, deseeded and sliced

Zest and juice of a lime

1 tbsp light soy sauce

400ml coconut milk

700ml chicken or vegetable stock

A small handful of coriander

Put the lemongrass pieces into a blender with oil and blitz until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil on medium with two teaspoons of the lemongrass paste, the ginger and garlic.

Add the onions, mushrooms, and chilli. Cook on a low, slow heat for a few minutes to soften the onions and take the raw edge off the garlic.

Add the lime juice, soy sauce, coconut milk and stock – you may not want all the stock, so taste as you go.

Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse.

Serve garnished with coriander and lime zest.