Keto-Friendly Spicy Thai Tom Kha Mushroom Coconut Soup | Recipe

I went out for lunch for my networking group recently to the Green Papaya Thai Restaurant, and while the buffet was a hard-no for me because of the abundance of peanut sauce (anaphylactic allergy), rice and potatoes, I found myself in heaven eating their Tom Kha soup. It was delicious! I know there was more sugar in it than I’d like to admit, so I can’t go back for more, and decided to try to make it at home. My very own keto-friendly version of the hot & sour Thai tom kha mushroom coconut soup. It is a little different, but equally delectable! I made it for my family for our Christmas lunch and it was a hit!

Spicy Thai Tom Kha Mushroom Coconut Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk
• 6 cups broth
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• handful of kaffir lime leaves
• 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1″ fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks of green onion
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• handful of thai red chilli peppers or 2 jalapenos
• 1 tablespoon of infused olive oil (hot chilli) added to each serving (optional)
• cilantro & lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Cut the lemongrass into shorter pices (2-4 inches) and flatten with the flat edge of a chef’s knife.
2. Cut the green onion into rings, set aside a handful as garnish.
3. Bring the broth, ginger, green onion, lime leaves & juice and lemongrass to a boil in a large pot.
4. Reduce heat. Add red thai chilli peppers. Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours.
5. Remove the solids. Set chillis aside.
6. Mix in coconut milk and simmer until soup is hot.
7. Add mushrooms and simmer for 15-20 minutes until they are soft.
8. Pour into serving bowls. Add spicy olive oil and red chillies to each. Garnish with green onions, chillies, cilantro and lime wedges.
9. Serve.

Nutritional Stats & Variations

This is a great vegan dish, that can be consumed as a light lunch, as a starter, or as a side dish. It can also be combined with chicken for a keto-friendly meal: Tom Kha Gai (Mushroom Coconut Chicken Soup). For a vegetarian or non-meat option, I pair it with a few slices of fatty cheese to keep my macros in check.

The ratios below are for the entire tom kha soup recipe (meant to serve 8), which means that each serving has under 4 grams of sugar. Keeping in mind that we are actually removing the solids, the amount of carbs number would technically be much lower, but for purposes of not mis-representing the calculations, I have included stats as if you ate the ginger/lemongrass/peppers/leaves.

• 31 grams of protein
• 273 grams of healthy fats
• 107 grams of carbs
  • 4 grams of fiber
  • 31 grams of sugar

For the tom kha gai option, gently brown 8 cubed chicken thighs (remove bones) in 2+ tablespoons coconut oil in a seperate pan, and pour it all (coconut oil too!) into the soup at the same time as the mushrooms and simmer until chicken is cooked throughout.

Bon Appetit!