It’s easy to prepare with fresh, whole, or frozen shrimp or prawns; it’s surprisingly easy to prepare once you’ve collected the ingredients! Bonus: Tom Yum is probably the most healthy Thai recipe ever. It weighs at 156 calories!
Tom Yum Soup
Asian cuisine has one of the best soups around! From the creamy coconut Laksa Noodle Soup to Vietnamese Beef Pho as well as Japanese Ramen, There’s an enormous range of soups, and Bangkok’s Tom Yum soup is among the very best of them all.
The bonus? Tom Yum Soup is healthy for you as it has only the calories of 156 per serving and a very low amount of fat.
TWO TYPES OF TOM YUM
Let me clarify that there are two kinds of Tom Yum Soup:
Clear Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Sai); and
Creamy Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon) is created from the transparent version and is enriched with evaporated milk as well as a great dose in the form of Thai Chilli Paste.
I’m not sure which is more well-known, but I do enjoy both equally, so I don’t have any favorites. It’s the smooth version has a slightly more flavor punch due to the chili paste. The evaporated milk doesn’t really impart flavor; it simply alters the appearance.
What is the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Kha?
The soup broth flavor base is identical. However, the main differentiator is Tom Kha has chili paste as well as a little coconut milk in it. Actually, Tom Kha is the creamy version of Tom Yum I’m sharing today, using coconut milk in place of evaporated milk!
Tom Yum tastes best cooked using whole prawns or shrimp, which you can peel yourself. However, I have a recipe that uses frozen prawns that have been peeled and frozen. Check out the recipe notes!!
What is into Tom Yum Soup
The first step is to prepare first, the soup. In addition to the items listed below, you’ll also need the head and shell of peeled prawns or shrimp (see the image below). If you’re unable to find whole prawns, don’t worry, as in the recipe notes, you’ll find instructions for making this using frozen prawns already peeled!
The key ingredients in the soup broth are the fresh and fragrant spices and herbs you can find below. Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lemongrass, chili, and garlic. They add a wonderful flavor to the soup!
I reside on the northern shores of the upper part of Sydney, and it is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, but it is, unfortunately, a source of Asian foods and products. However, I am able to find all the ingredients to make this recipe at my local grocery and fresh produce shops!!
What is the recipe for Tom Yum Soup?
Gathering the ingredients is the toughest element of this recipe since the ingredients aren’t staples in your pantry and, depending on how full your local grocery store is, could require a trip to an Asian grocery store.
The process of making is simple, requiring nothing more than simmering and plonking, straining, plopping, and before steaming once more.
See? There is plenty of plonk to simmer above to create the broth.
Plus, simmer until you have added the “stuff” to the soup.
This is how you prepare the transparent recipe for Tom Yum Soup, which I believe is the one most frequently served in Thai restaurant chains in Sydney.
The broth appears simple, clear, and plain. But wait until you taste it! It’s got a fantastic flavor depth due to the shells of prawns and shrimps – basically, it’s a homemade shrimp stock that has tons of aromatics!!
how to prepare Creamy Tom Yum Soup
For the creamy one, it is as simple as taking the clear version, then including a good amount of Thai Chilli paste, then a splash of evaporated milk.
I’m sure that a lot of people believe that creamy versions are made from coconut milk, as it is an ingredient that is often used in Thai cooking. It’s actually evaporated milk.
Coconut milk can be incredible – it actually turns the Tom Yum soup into Tom Kha, and those who tried it loved it!
Whatever you decide to go with – the traditional clear or the more creamy. You’ll be awed by it. It tastes real, just like the ones it is at Thai restaurants. It’s not an exaggeration to say that some of my favorite takeaway dishes aren’t easy to replicate or are not possible at home due to the fact that we don’t have commercial-quality equipment. If that’s the case, I’m open about how similar a home-cooked version it can be (for instance, Chicken Tikka Masala, Char Kway Teow).
BROTH
Peel the shrimp. Place shells and heads into the pot. Save the meat.
Please make use of a meat mallet or a similar tool to smash the chili, garlic, and lemongrass until they break open and release flavor. Incorporate into the pot.
Crush kaffir lime leaves using your hands. Please put them in a pot.
Add the galangal, stock, and water. Bring to a simmer over high, then cover, reduce to medium, and cook for 10 minutes.
Strain the broth, then discard the shells of prawns, etc., then pour the broth back into the same pot, simmering at a low temperature.
FINISH SOUP
Add the mushrooms and onions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, simmer for 1 minute.
Add prawns, cook for two minutes, or cook.
Add the sugar and fish sauce and cook for one minute.
Incorporate lime juice and taste. Adjust sweetness (sugar), sal,t (fish sauce), and sour (lime) to your liking. (trust me when I say that you’ll be able to tell me what you like about it! ).
Pour the soup into bowls and serve with fresh chili and coriander! Tom Yum is the CLEAR version of Tom Yum.
Recipe Notes
Lemongrass – To make the dish, cut it in half, then peel off the reedy green shell to reveal the white portion that is on the bottom of the lemongrass. If you are unable to find lemongrass, locate it. You could apply it to PASTE: mix 1 tbsp.
Kaffir Lime Leave S are the leaves of the kaffir lime plant. It is used to impart the earthy aroma of citrus to Asian food. It is available at major supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, Harris) and Asian stores. Dried is an ok substitute (same amount), but I really urge you to try to find fresh if you can because it adds that “something-something” that really makes this “restaurant quality.” Absolutely perfect freezing. There is always a freezer in my bag!
Utilize 200g/7oz frozen prawns peeled and frozen (this is greater than the mass of whole prawns peeled) and then add them to step 7. The soup that results is very tasty, very similar to the process of making broth with the shells of prawns!
Storing A leftover soup can be kept for up to 2 days in the refrigerator, then gently warmed in the microwave with no shrimp or prawns, and then added to the soup later (so you don’t overcook the soup). Freezing – The broth is completely frozen. To get the best outcomes, follow the recipe carefully to strain the broth and then put it back in the pot. Begin cooking shrimp/prawns gently, then take them out. Add sugar and fish sauce. Let cool, add shrimp back into the broth, and then freeze. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms after the soup has been reheated along with lime (best to add them fresh).