Tom yum soup

Tom yum soup is a classic Thai soup loaded with wonderful aromatic and spice flavor. It has freshness from lemongrass and lime leaves, and a little chili kick. This favorite shrimp version (tom yum goong) is easy, comforting and oh so delicious.

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Many soups can be relatively heavy, which to be fair can be just what you need on a cold day. But many Thai soups like this and tom kha gai are anything but. Here the homemade herb and shrimp stock base is light and fresh with aromatic ingredients. Yet with plenty of shrimp and oyster mushrooms, this soup is still wonderfully filling as well. 

While you can buy a paste to help make this soup, it's really worth starting with fresh herbs to get the full freshness of flavor coming through. And it's a lot easier than you might think to make, too.

What are the origins of tom yum soup?

Tom yum is from Central Thailand and the name derives from "tom" referring to the boiling process and "yum" or "yam" meaning mixed. The soup comes in a few different versions with different ingredients added, but the same aromatic herb broth base. Some add seafood, others chicken. Others are made creamy.

This version with shrimp is tom yum gung and is generally the most popular and widely available outside of Thailand. And more importantly, it's incredibly tasty.

About the ingredients

The base of this soup is essentially an aromatic shrimp stock that you then quickly cook a few additions in. Even though some of the ingredients may be less familiar, you can probably find most if not all in your local Asian supermarket.

• Kaffir lime leaves - also known as makrut lime leaves. These are the leaf from a particular type of lime that has quite a nobbly skin. Both the lime and the leaves are common in Thai cooking, as well as other cuisines of the region. While you can sometimes get dry leaves, look for the fresh ones for this, they really are so much better flavor-wise. While you might not find them in your local store, they are pretty widely available in Asian stores, usually sold by the fresh herbs.
• Lemongrass - this is another common Asian ingredient with a lovely lemon-like aroma (hence the name). In some dishes, you grind it or finely chop it, but for this you just want lengths from a stem to help get some flavor into the broth. These days, the stems are pretty widely available.
• Galangal - this is a root that is related to ginger. You often use it in similar ways to ginger, but the flavor is a little more peppery and without that slightly sweet edge. The flesh is also a little paler in color. It can be a little harder to find, though most Asian stores will have it, so if you can't find it use some fresh ginger instead.
• Chili - use the small Thai red chili for this, or green if that is all you can find. If you can't find either, then use another relatively hot fresh chili. You can, of course, adjust the chili to taste, but this is a relatively spicy soup.
• Fish sauce - while you get plenty of fishy flavor from the broth, this adds a greater depth and slightly salty-umami flavor.
• Shrimp - traditionally, you make this with freshwater shrimp, but really any will be good. I prefer medium-large and use shell-on fresh shrimp to then make the shrimp stock with the shells. It's quicker to make than you might think and better than using ready-made shrimp stock.
• Mushrooms, tomatoes and onion - these are all added into the soup to give a bit of bulk, texture and color. Oyster mushrooms are best, and cherry/grape tomatoes save you cutting, but others will also work.
• Cilantro and lime - these add freshness at the end, right before serving.
• Nam prik pao - this is a Thai chili jam or paste, made with shallots and cooked over charcoal to give a smokey flavor. It's not in all versions of this soup. In fact, some only add it when they make the creamy version (with evaporated milk added for creaminess). However even non-creamy, it adds a lovely extra flavor and color to the broth. I recommend some if you can find it.

Tips for making this soup

This is relatively easy to make and comes together quickly, once you have your stock ready (and even that doesn't take long). So be ready.

Get everything prepared before you start cooking. You can do some of this while the stock is cooking, but it can also be good to just get everything ready first. So chop the onion, peel and devein the shrimp, roughly chop the mushrooms and even have your lime cut ready as well. 

Bruise the aromatics. Particularly the lemongrass and lime leaves do well from a bit of help to get their oils coming out. So, use the end of a knife or a rolling pin to crush the lemongrass a little, and tear the lime leaves and crush a little in your hands. 

Strain the stock. This one is maybe controversial but I find this a whole lot easier to eat when you don't have to fish out pieces of galangal or lemongrass. So, I prefer to strain it once the base mixture is made before adding the other ingredients.

Don't cook for too long. As I say, this all comes together pretty quickly, and you don't want to overcook the shrimp, in particular. So, don't wait between stages, and once the shrimp look cooked, they probably are, so stop.

Tom yum soup (tom yum gung) is a wonderful mix of aromatic herbs, seafood, spice and freshness. It's easy to make and makes a delicious appetizer or lunch, both in cold weather and less so. Because really, you'll want to find any excuse to enjoy it.

Try these other tasty soups:

• Spanish garlic soup (sopa de ajo - only a few ingredients but so incredibly tasty)
• Shrimp bisque (a classic French smooth and creamy seafood soup)
• Cullen skink (an usual name for a delicious Scottish smoked haddock chowder)
• Plus get more appetizer recipes and Southeast Asian recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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