Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup)

Name: Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 10 Shrimp; 1 handful Mushrooms; 6 Cherry tomatoes; 4 cups Water or stock; 2 stalks Lemongrass; 4 slices Galangal; 4 Kaffir lime leaves; 3 Thai chilies; 3 tbsp Fish sauce; 3 tbsp Lime juice; 1 tbsp Nam prik pao; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 handful Cilantro; 0.5 cup Coconut milk

Thailand's iconic hot-and-sour shrimp soup — broth perfumed with lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaf, brightened with lime at the end. Sour, spicy, savory; one of the world's most famous soups.

Ingredients

2servings

Shrimp · heads & shells on (for stock)10
Mushrooms · button or king oyster1 handful
Cherry tomatoes6
Water or stock4 cups
Aromatics
Lemongrass · bruised, cut in lengths2 stalks
Galangal · not ginger4 slices
Kaffir lime leaves · torn4
Thai chilies · crushed3
Seasoning
Fish sauce3 tbsp
Lime juice · added at the end3 tbsp
Nam prik pao · chili jam, optional1 tbsp
Sugar1 tsp
Cilantro · garnish1 handful
Coconut milk · for nam khon style, optional0.5 cup

Steps

Peel the shrimp, keeping the meat aside and the heads/shells separate. Briefly fry the heads and simmer them in the stock for deeper umami.
⏲ 5 min
Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and crushed chilies to the boiling stock to infuse the aromatics.
⏲ 5 min
Add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and simmer. (For nam khon style, add the coconut milk and nam prik pao here.)
⏲ 3 min
Add the shrimp and cook only until they turn pink — overcooking toughens them.
⏲ 2 min
Off the heat, season with fish sauce and sugar, then stir in the lime juice last. (Boiling the lime turns it bitter.)
⏲ 1 min
Top with cilantro and serve right away, with rice or on its own.

Tips & Variations

Variations

Nam khon (creamy): With coconut milk and nam prik pao for a rich, smooth soup.
Nam sai (clear): No coconut — clear and sour, the classic version.
Tom yum noodles: Serve the broth over rice noodles.
Chicken/mixed seafood: Use chicken, or squid and mussels, instead of shrimp.

Tips

The trio of lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves is the heart of the aroma — without them it isn't tom yum (use an Asian market or tom yum paste).
The aromatics are there to infuse, not to eat — fish them out or set them aside.
Add the lime juice off the heat, at the very end — boiling it makes it bitter.
Cook the shrimp just until pink so they stay plump.
Balance the sour (lime), salty (fish sauce), spicy, and sweet to taste.

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