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Thai Rice Soup (Khao Tom)
Savory pork meatballs and jasmine rice give this Thai soup heft, but its aromatic broth—made with plenty of shallots, garlic, lemon grass and ginger—has excellent flavor on its own. The soup is a sort of blank canvas for garnishes; the recipe calls for our favorites, but feel free to offer only those that appeal to you. The fried shallots, however, are a must.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use freshly cooked rice, as the grains will turn mushy. Rice that was cooked at least a day in advance, then chilled held its shape better than rice that was cooked the same day. To chill just-cooked rice, mist a parchment-lined baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the hot rice on it evenly. Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least one or up to three days.
35 minutes
Ingredients
-
8
ounces ground pork
-
3
tablespoons fish sauce, divided, plus extra to serve
Directions
-
01In a medium bowl, mix the pork, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the chili-garlic sauce and ¾ teaspoon white pepper. Form the mixture into 20 meatballs (about 2 teaspoons each), rolling each between the palms of your hands. Place on a large plate.
Reviews
February 18, 2026
Incredible!
This recipe is so satisfying--offering depth of flavor with the minimum of ingredients.
November 2, 2025
Love this recipe
Perfect amount of fish sauce. We used to get a similar version of this soup with bean thread noodles at our local, fav Thai spot that we’ve since (sadly) moved away from. We used kelp noodles instead of rice for a low calorie option that was reminiscent of our ol’ fav and it was fantastic. We also doubled the pork it called for - highly recommend.
December 29, 2024
Flavor Bomb
Fantastic flavor combinations. Everyone in the house came to ask what I was cooking just from the aromas. Delicious!
December 8, 2024
Excellent
Really good. Of course, you need to make the stock and not buy it in a box or can. Also, I would not add the rice until you eat it b/c otherwise the soup will get too starchy and this allows the possibility of leftovers. If you add the rice it will soak up all the soup (I know this from experience).
February 12, 2024
Great recipe!
The fried shallot recipe was a total bust. Other than that, fantastic, spot on flavor!
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I'm not sure when you added comments feature to the recipes, but I am thrilled! I've been a MS member from the get go, and favorite the recipes that we have made. So now I can go back and comment on them.
We made this, I was tasked with the meatballs, onions, and eggs; while hubby made the rest. We cook a lot together and absolutely loved this recipe. The taste was unique for me, but he has been to Thailand before and it brought back memories. So Thank You, for bringing us recipes from across the World that we can recreate at home with ingredients we can find easily.
PS I now steam all eggs instead of boiling, such a difference.