About this recipe
Perhaps the most recognizable Thai soup abroad, tom yum goong is a hot-and-sour broth built on shrimp and a raft of bruised aromatics. It appears in two common styles: clear (nam sai) and the creamy nam khon enriched with chili paste and a little evaporated milk. This is a home-kitchen version of the creamy style.
Recipe facts
- Yield
- 4 as part of a shared meal
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 20 minutes
- Total
- 40 minutes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Spice
- Hot (adjustable)
Allergens Contains shellfish (shrimp), fish (fish sauce). Dairy-free if evaporated milk is omitted. Gluten-free if using a gluten-free fish sauce.
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) shell-on shrimp, heads reserved if available
- 5 cups (1.2 L) water or light stock
- 3 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 2-in (5 cm) lengths
- 6 thin slices galangal (not ginger)
- 5 makrut lime leaves, torn
- 4–6 fresh Thai bird's eye chilies, lightly crushed (to taste)
- 6 oz (170 g) oyster or straw mushrooms, halved
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fish sauce (nam pla), plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice, added off the heat
- 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) Nam Prik Pao (roasted chili paste — see Condiments C02)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) evaporated milk (optional, for nam khon style)
- 1 handful cilantro leaves, to finish
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Knife & board
- Ladle
Method
- If you have shrimp heads and shells, simmer them in the water for 10 minutes, then strain — this builds the broth's backbone. Otherwise use light stock.
- Bring the broth to a gentle boil. Add lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves; simmer 3–4 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the mushrooms and crushed chilies; simmer 2 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn pink and opaque, about 2–3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the Nam Prik Pao, then season with fish sauce and, last, the lime juice.
- Stir in the evaporated milk for a creamy nam khon, if using. Taste and adjust: it should be sharply sour, salty and hot.
- Finish with cilantro and serve immediately with jasmine rice.
Uses from this chapter
- Nam Prik Pao (Roasted Chili Paste) (Condiments — C02) — Stirred into the broth off the heat for color, depth and gentle sweetness; also offered at the table.
From the foundations
The book pairs this recipe with the following, from the sauces, sambals and pastes that open the collection.
The Complete Edition
Tom Yum Goong sits in the Thailand chapter
The book carries this recipe in full alongside the rest of the Thailand chapter, the pastes and dips it is built on, and the twenty-seven pantry studies that open the collection.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.