Tom yum goong
ต้มยำกุ้ง (tom yum goong) — hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf
Steaming bowls of this prawn soup land on almost every table in central Thailand, from riverside shophouses in Ayutthaya to family dinners in Bangkok, where it sits in the middle to be shared with rice and two or three other dishes. The broth is thin but loud: sour from lime, salty from fish sauce, hot from crushed bird's eye chillies, and perfumed by bruised lemongrass, galangal and torn makrut lime leaf, which flavour the soup but are left in the bowl. This is the clear style (nam sai) with a spoonful of roasted chilli paste for colour and a gentle sweetness; the creamy nam khon style adds evaporated milk, which we leave out to keep it dairy free. Serve it piping hot with plain jasmine rice. Chef's tip: simmer the prawn heads and shells for five minutes before anything else goes in, and the soup tastes of the sea rather than of water.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
To season
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Pull the heads and shells off 14 oz raw king prawns and devein the bodies, leaving the tails on. Keep the peeled prawns in the fridge while you make the stock, and wash your board and hands afterwards.
Step 2: Put the heads and shells in a saucepan with 4 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, pressing the heads with a spoon to release their orange juices, then strain the stock back into the pan and throw away the shells.
7 minStep 3: Add 2 stalks lemongrass, 1 oz galangal, 6 makrut lime leaves and 2 shallots and simmer over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until the kitchen smells strongly of lemongrass.
5 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz straw or oyster mushrooms and 5 bird's eye chillies and simmer for 2 minutes, until the mushrooms soften.
2 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tbsp Thai roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao), 3 tbsp fish sauce and ½ tsp sugar. Slide in the peeled prawns and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, just until they curl and turn pink and opaque all the way through. Keep it at a gentle bubble; hard boiling makes prawns rubbery in seconds.
3 minStep 6: Take the pan off the heat and only then stir in 4 tbsp lime juice. The usual mistake is boiling the lime, which turns it bitter and flat. Taste: sour should come first, then salt, then heat; add a little more lime or fish sauce to balance.
Step 7: Ladle into bowls, scatter over 1 handful coriander leaves and serve straight away with 1 ⅓ lb cooked jasmine rice. Eat around the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tom yum goong take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of straw or oyster mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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