Description
Make traditional Thai Shrimp Soup, Tom Yum Goong, featuring a clear, spicy, and sour broth. You can easily make it creamy by adding coconut milk.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, bruised, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 inch galangal, thinly sliced
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn slightly
- 1/2 cup straw mushrooms, halved (or substitute button mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1-2 tablespoons Thai chili paste (Nam Prik Pao)
- 1-3 fresh Thai chilies, crushed (adjust to your heat preference)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (optional, for creamy version)
Instructions
- Combine the broth, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with the aromatics.
- Strain the broth to remove the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, returning the liquid to the pot. Discard the solids.
- Add the mushrooms to the broth and simmer until tender, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chili paste, and crushed fresh chilies. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Add the shrimp to the simmering broth. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and opaque. Do not overcook.
- If you prefer a creamy soup (Tom Yum Nam Khon), stir in the coconut milk now and heat through without boiling.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish generously with fresh cilantro before serving.
Notes
- For a clearer broth, use only the strained aromatics and skip the coconut milk.
- If you cannot find galangal, use fresh ginger as a substitute, though the flavor profile will change slightly.
- You can add cooked rice noodles to this soup to make it a more substantial meal.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop Simmering
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 22
- Cholesterol: 150