Tom Yum Soup Recipe
A fragrant Thai soup featuring tender shrimp in a savory homemade shell broth, infused with lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves, finished with spicy chili paste and fresh lime juice.
Equipment
- stock pot
- wire skimmer
- pestle or mallet
- Ladle
Ingredients
Tom Yum Soup
- 4 cups shrimp stock or unsalted chicken stock
- 12-15 medium or large shrimp head-on, shell-on if making shrimp stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass bottom half only, smashed until broken and cut in 2 inch pieces
- 6 makrut lime leaves
- 8 slices galangal
- 2-5 Thai chilies to taste, pounded into a rough paste or finely minced
- 7 oz oyster mushrooms tear large ones into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup Thai chili paste
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- Chopped cilantro or sawtooth coriander, for garnish
- Jasmine rice for serving
Shrimp Stock
- Shrimp shells and heads from above
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 4 1/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup finely chopped daikon optional
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion optional
Instructions
For the Shrimp Stock
- Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat, then add the shrimp shells and heads with the daikon and/or onion, if using; press the heads with a spatula as they cook. The shells should turn deep orange and release fragrant oil into the pot.
- Pour in the water once browned bits form on the bottom, scraping the pot clean as the liquid goes in; bring it to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. The broth should smell intensely shrimpy and look lightly golden.
- Lift out and discard the shells with a wire skimmer, leaving any vegetable bits behind if desired; measure 4 cups of stock for the soup and add water only if needed to reach that amount. A little extra stock is fine, but the broth should remain full-flavored rather than diluted.
For the Tom Yum Soup
- Add the stock, lemongrass, galangal, chilies, and mushrooms to the pot; twist and tear the lime leaves, discard their center ribs, then add the leaves and simmer for about 5 minutes. The bruised herbs should release a sharp citrus aroma as the broth gently bubbles.
- Bring the soup to a boil, loosen the Thai chili paste with a ladleful of hot broth, then stir it into the pot with the fish sauce and shrimp; cook the shrimp for 30-50 seconds, depending on size, then turn off the heat and leave them in the broth for another minute. The shrimp are ready when opaque and curled into a loose C-shape, not a tight O-shape.
- Stir in the fresh lime juice after the heat is off, then taste and add the sugar if the broth needs more balance. The flavor should lead with limey sourness, followed by savory depth, chile heat, and a subtle sweet edge.
- Fold in the cilantro and serve the soup with jasmine rice on the side or in the bowl. The herbs should stay bright green and fresh against the hot broth.
Notes
Doneness: Cook shrimp until they form a loose C-shape rather than a tight O-shape, using residual pot heat after turning off the burner to keep them tender.
Ingredient tip: Add fresh lime juice only after taking the pot off the heat to avoid bitterness and preserve bright citrus fragrance.
Reheating: Separate cooked shrimp from broth before chilling. Reheat the broth to a gentle simmer, turn off the heat, and warm the shrimp in the hot broth for about one minute.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.