Tom Yum Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.2 litres chicken stock or water
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into lengths
• A thumb of galangal or ginger, sliced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn (not counted)
• 2–4 bird's eye chillies, bruised
• 200 g mushrooms (straw or oyster), halved
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• 400 g raw prawns, peeled
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 2–3 limes
• Fresh coriander

Method

1. 1Bring the stock to the boil with the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chillies, and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. 2Add the mushrooms and tomato and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. 3Add the prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes until they turn pink.
4. 4Turn off the heat and season with fish sauce and lime juice: it should be sour first, then salty and spicy.
5. 5Serve with coriander. The lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves are for flavour; push them aside as you eat.

Tom yum soup recipe: nutrition per serving

One of 4 servings. Estimated from the ingredient weights above and per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy); brands and cooking change the real numbers. Not counted, because USDA SR Legacy has no record for them: kaffir lime leaves, torn.

Tips

• Add the lime off the heat: boiling turns it bitter.
• For tom yum nam khon, the creamy version, stir in a little evaporated milk or chilli paste in oil at the end.

Swaps and variations

• Use chicken (tom yum gai) or tofu and mushrooms instead of prawns.
• Gluten-free and dairy-free as written; check your fish sauce.

Storage

Eat it fresh. The broth (without prawns) keeps 3 days in the fridge.