Tom Yum Goong
Thailand's famous hot and sour prawn soup. Sharp, fragrant and restorative. The aromatics are meant to be left in the bowl, not eaten.
- Time
- 30 mins
- Serves
- 4
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 10
Method
- 01
Peel the prawns and set the meat aside. Do not throw away the shells.
- 02
Fry the shells in a dry pot for 2 minutes until they turn pink and smell sweet, then add the water and simmer 15 minutes. Strain. This shell stock is what separates good tom yum from flat tom yum.
- 03
Return the stock to the pot and add the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. Simmer 5 minutes.
- 04
Add the mushrooms and crushed chillies and cook 3 minutes.
- 05
Stir in the nam prik pao and fish sauce.
- 06
Add the prawns and cook just 2 minutes, until they curl and turn opaque. Any longer and they toughen.
- 07
Turn off the heat before adding the lime juice, so it stays bright and sour. Taste and balance: it should be sour first, then salty, then hot.
Cooking Tips
- Fry the prawn shells and simmer them for the stock. That shell stock is the difference between good tom yum and flat tom yum.
- Add the lime juice off the heat. Boiled lime juice turns dull and slightly bitter.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Galangal is not interchangeable with ginger here, but ginger will do at a push.
- Chicken or firm white fish can replace the prawns; use a light stock instead of shell stock.
What to Serve With It
- Serve very hot with jasmine rice. The lemongrass and lime leaves are aromatics, not meant to be eaten.
Storage and Reheating
- Keeps 2 days. Add fresh lime juice when reheating to bring the sourness back.
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