What an incredible Thai Soup recipe with an addictive Savory, Sour, Sweet Heat, that can be adjusted for each bowl right there at the table!Few soups in the world can match the bold, aromatic magic of Tom Yum Soup. A Thai classic that delivers a perfect balance of savory, sweet, sour, and spiciness with an irresistible touch of funk in every spoonful. Infused with the unmistakable fragrance of the Thai Holy Trinity (galangal, lime leaves, and lemongrass). This Thai Soup is a vibrant explosion of flavor that awakens the senses and is highly customizable yet always addictive. One slurp, and you’ll see why it’s pure yum yum in a bowl, What a wonderful soup!
Servings: 4 portions
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Spider
- 3 Bowls for thawing Shrimp, straining out the solids, and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs Shrimp - Medium to large, raw and shelled yourself
- Fresh Cilantro - to garnish, can use Parsley
Soup Base
- 8 C Water
- 8 Lime Leaves - Dried or Fresh
- 2 Inch Galangal - sliced thinly
- 1 Stalk Lemon Grass - Smash the lemon grass
- 1 Tbl Hondashi - or 1-2 Maggi Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon
- 1/4 C Sugar - or less for not as sweet
- 1/4 C Nam Prik Pao - also known as Thai Chli Jam
- 1/4 C Fish Sauce - added last off heat
- 1/4 C Lime Juice - added last off heat
- As Desired Canned Evaporated Milk or Coconut Milk - Optional, for a creamy version, added last
Vegetables
- 400 g King Oyster Mushrooms - Quartered and chopped or torn into pieces
- 3 Cloves Garlic - minced or chopped
- 2-3 Red Thai Chilies - minced or chopped, more for garnishing
- 1 Large Onion - Cut in half and each half quartered
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes - or 5-8 Roma Tomatoes Diced
Instructions
- Thaw Shrimp: Place frozen shrimp in a bowl of water to thaw. Prepare the other ingredients. Shell the shrimp and set aside for the soup base.If using tiger prawns or whole tiger or white shrimp, chop the head off, shell and devein. Save the heads and shells for the soup base. If serving with steamed jasmine rice or rice vermicelli noodles, prepare these first to have ready when the Thai Soup is ready.
- T — The Thai Soup base consist of water or broth with Shrimp Shells and Heads if included along with sliced Galangal, bruised and sliced Lemon Grass, and torn Kaffir Lime Leaves (the Thai Holy Trinity). Bring this to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes for a fragrant and flavorful Thai soup base.
- O — Omit the solids from the soup for easier eating, by straining out the solids or using a spider to scoop the solids out to discard. Optionally you can place the solids into a Ziploc bag and freeze to include in your next batch for a slight boost in flavor.
- M — Mix in Mushrooms, Nam Prik Pao, Onions, Garlic, Red Thai Chilies, Sugar, and Tomatoes (including the juices if using canned diced tomatoes).
- Y — Yield their flavors and meld into a rich, balanced broth, letting the soup simmer for 10 minutes. Make adjustments to “Yield” the perfect balance of spiciness and sweetness.
- U — Unite the Shrimp or Chicken with the soup, letting it cook in the broth until fully done (Shrimp for 1–2 minutes, diced Chicken Breast thinly sliced for 5–8 minutes).
- M — Moment of Perfection! Turn off the heat and Mix in Fish Sauce & Lime Juice to preserve their vibrant flavors. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh or dried cilantro or parsley. Alongside Chili Flakes or minced Red Thai Chilies, Nam Prik Pao, Sugar, Lime Juice & Fish sauce at the table, for everyone to be able to customize their own bowl of Yummy Tom Yum. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving Size: This recipe is enough to make 4 hearty & filling servings or more, if using a smaller quantity (8 servings), as an appetizer or lunch, then use 2 lbs of Shrimp instead of 1 lb (ca. 454 g), everything else can remain the same.
For Serving
- Jasmine Rice: Make Steamed White Rice with Thai Jasmine rice using;
- 1 C Jasmine Rice
- 1 C Water
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil & Sea Salt, each
- Rice Vermicelli: Soak 1/4 lb or 100g to 114g Rice Vermicelli Noodles in hot tap water and then place a portion in bowls. Ladle Hot Tom Yum over the noodles and garnish to serve. This is enough noodles for 4 bowls.