Tom Kha Rok Phung

Tom Kha Rok Phung — literally 'coconut galangal tripe soup' — is a historical Central Thai preparation found in nineteenth-century royal kitchen manuscripts. The rich coconut milk broth with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime tames the earthiness of honeycomb tripe into a dish of remarkable elegance.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600g (1 1/3 lb) honeycomb beef tripe, cleaned
• 400ml (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 400ml (1 2/3 cups) beef or chicken stock
• 50g (2 oz) fresh galangal, sliced into coins
• 3 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 4 fresh Thai chillies, bruised
• 200g (7 oz) oyster mushrooms, torn
• 3 tbsp (45ml) fish sauce
• 2 tbsp (30ml) lime juice
• 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• Large handful fresh coriander and Thai basil

Instructions

1. Parboil tripe in a large pot of water with 3 slices galangal and 1 stalk lemongrass for 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut into 4cm (1.5 in) squares.
2. Combine coconut milk and stock in a clean pot over medium heat. Add remaining galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer — do not boil hard or the coconut milk will split.
3. Add tripe to the broth and braise over low heat for 60-75 minutes until tender and the broth has absorbed into the tripe slightly.
4. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Season with fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, balancing salty, sour and sweet.
5. Add fresh chillies for heat. Ladle into bowls and garnish generously with coriander and Thai basil. Serve with jasmine rice.

Cook's Notes: Honeycomb tripe's texture absorbs the aromatic broth beautifully — do not rush the braise. Taste the broth at the end: it should be pleasantly rich, not greasy. A squeeze of extra lime at the table lifts everything.