Khao Tom Thai Rice Soup Recipe

By
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where she develops recipes and owns and operates three businesses: a bean-to-bar chocolate company, an ice cream company, and a collective food production space. Previously, she wrote brunch and British food recipe columns for Serious Eats.
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Updated June 18, 2019
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Sydney Oland

Whether you wake up with an aching head from a few too the night before, or just need something warm and filling to get through these final cold days, this Thai-inspired soup will set you right. Rice is cooked right in the broth, generously seasoned with lemongrass, shallots, and garlic. With savory ground pork to give it some heft and a finishing drizzle of fish sauce, it's a dish that's simple, flavor-packed, and wholly satisfying.

It's so simple, in fact, that you'll want to load up your bowl with garnishes. I like to add flavor and texture with sliced chilies, fresh scallions, chopped cilantro, and some tender cubes of tofu.

Recipe Details

Khao Tom Thai Rice Soup Recipe

Active 5 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 6 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 2 shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 2 (5-inch) pieces lemongrass, halved lengthwise

  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

  • 3/4 cup short-grain rice

  • 3/4 pound ground pork

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce, plus more to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime

  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions

  • 1 Thai bird chile, finely chopped

  • 1/2 pound firm tofu

  • 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought fried shallots (optional)

Directions

  1. In a pot combine stock, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, and rice and bring to a simmer. Cook until soup is thickened and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low Remove lemongrass and discard.

  2. Add ground pork and stir, breaking up the pork, until pork is fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce, a pinch of salt, and lime juice. Stir in half of cilantro, half of scallions, half of chili, and all of the tofu. Add more fish sauce and salt to taste.

  3. Divide soup between bowls, then top with remaining cilantro, scallions, chilies, tofu, and fried shallots. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
327 Calories
16g Fat
17g Carbs
29g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 327
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 60mg 20%
Sodium 1148mg 50%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 7mg 37%
Calcium 228mg 18%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 768mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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