Tom Yum
This authentic Thai Tom Yum soup delivers a masterclass in balance, combining a robust homemade prawn stock with fragrant lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. Enriched with a smoky, homemade nam prik pao chilli jam, tender prawns, and earthy mushrooms, it hits every note of sweet, sour, spicy, and savoury, creating an invigorating and deeply aromatic culinary experience.
Cuisines
Cooking Instructions
Cooking: 35 minutes
Notes:
Enclosing the sliced lemongrass and galangal in a cheesecloth sachet keeps the broth clear and makes removal effortless.
Homemade nam prik pao can be stored in an airtight container for weeks and used as a condiment or flavour base for other dishes.
Dried puya or arbol chillies work best for the chilli jam to provide balanced heat and rich colour.
Adjust the final seasoning ratio of lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar to suit your personal preference for sour, salty, and sweet notes.
Prepare Chilli Jam Base
Rehydrate the tamarind paste in boiling water, strain through a mesh sieve, and fry the garlic, shallots, and dried chillies separately in oil until golden and crisp.
Blend Chilli Jam
Finely process the dried shrimp into a powder, then blend the fried garlic, shallots, and chillies into a crumbly mixture.
Simmer Chilli Jam
Heat the frying oil in a wok, stir-fry the shrimp powder, dissolve the crushed palm sugar, and simmer with the chilli mixture, tamarind, and fish sauce until thickened.
Make Prawn Stock
Peel and devein the prawns, reserving the meat, then simmer the heads and shells in water for 10 minutes until reduced, and strain the liquid.
Sear Mushrooms
Sear the beech and king oyster mushrooms in a stockpot with a small amount of oil for 3 minutes until softened and browned, then set aside.
Simmer Broth
Wrap the lemongrass and galangal in cheesecloth, then sauté garlic, chillies, and nam prik pao in the pot before adding the prawn stock, sachet, and kaffir lime leaves to simmer for 15 minutes.
Finish Soup
Return the mushrooms and add the raw prawns to the simmering broth for 2 to 3 minutes until cooked, remove the sachet, and season with fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar before serving with fresh coriander and Thai basil.
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Ingredients
| Tamarind Paste | 90 g |
| Water | 120 ml |
| Vegetable Oil | 295 ml |
| Garlic | 50 g |
| Shallots | 100 g |
| Dried Chillies | 50 g |
| Dried Shrimp | 25 g |
| Palm Sugar | 150 g |
| Fish Sauce | 90 g |
| Head-On Prawns | 680 g |
| Water | 830 ml |
| Lemongrass | 2 stalks |
| Galangal | 5 cm piece |
| Mini Beech Mushrooms | 2 heads |
| King Oyster Mushrooms | 2 |
| Nam Prik Pao | 80 g |
| Garlic | 5 cloves |
| Thai Chillies | 5 |
| Kaffir Lime Leaves | 7 |
| Fish Sauce | 55 g |
| Lime Juice | 38 g |
| Palm Sugar | 42 g |
| Coriander | ½ bunch |
| Thai Basil | ½ bunch |
