Tom Yum Soup: How to Make the Thai Hot and Sour Soup

Tom Yum soup is the epitome of the complex mixture of flavors that is Thai cuisine. It is a hot and sour soup that combines spicy, savoury, and sour flavors all into one bowl of perfection. My version is anything but authentic, but it is a quick version that makes a great meal and is reminiscent of all of those great Thai flavors.

There are two distinct versions of Tom yum soup that perhaps you have come across in a local Thai restaurant. One has a clear broth while one has a more creamy texture. Today, I will be making the creamier version adding some coconut milk. I am also going to add some rice to make this a heartier, main course soup.

Tom yum soup is best made with whole shrimp because the flavors in the broth will be developed by using those heads and shells. But don’t worry, if you can’t find those, you can substitute shell-on shrimp for a very similar effect. I am also replacing some other ingredients that I was unable to find with substitutes that are more commonly found in your neighborhood grocery store. For instance, I am going to use ginger instead of it’s cousin galangal and my grocer was fresh out of kaffir lime leaves, so I am just using extra lime. I also had some celery that was looking ripe, so I threw that in the soup and it actually worked really well. So, there are a lot of options for creative liberty!

While the ingredients list may be long, don’t let that scare you because the soup is actually quite easy to make. And once you have the ingredients, you can try your luck at other recipes that use similar ingredients like my Vietnamese inspired lemongrass chicken to use up the rest of that lemongrass or my greens and pulled chicken noodle bowl to polish off that coconut milk.

Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side

Suggested Wine Pairing:

To cut the spiciness in the tom yum soup, a dry or off dry white wine like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc ir perfection. You can also never go wrong with rose.

Ingredients:

12 King Prawns, deveined and peeled but reserve the shells

2 stalks of lemon grass

1/2 onion, cut into large pieces

1 inch of ginger, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 Thai red chilis

1 lime, juiced and zested

1 cup of mushrooms, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 roma tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1/2 cup of coconut milk

3 cups of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1-2 tablespoons of Thai chili paste, depending on your preferred spice level

1/2 cup of jasmine rice

Cilantro for the pretty

Instructions:

1. Prepare your veggies for the stock by cutting the lemongrass in half and gently tapping with a meat tenderizer mallet. Continue this process with the ginger, garlic, chili, and onion.

2. Add the above vegetables to a stock pot with the lime zest, shrimp shells and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer and return the stock to the pot. Add coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, and rice and bring the mixture back to a simmer.

4. Once it is simmering, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, and chili paste, and stir. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

5. Add in the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through.

6. To serve, divide the soup between bowls and garnish with cilantro.

If you like this soup, be sure to check out my pho recipe!