With over 3 million views on YouTube, this recipe is one of the most popular, and an OG, on Hot Thai Kitchen. This world-famous tom yum soup is universally loved; and with this authentic recipe I promise you can make it as good as, if not better than, the ones in restaurants. It's one of the first dishes I learned to make as a child because it's so easy, making this a great first Thai dish to try!
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What is Tom Yum Soup?
Tom yum (ต้มยำ) is a type of Thai hot and sour soup where the iconic flavours come from 3 herbs: lemongrass, galangal, and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. For Thai people, these 3 herbs are very much associated with tom yum, which is why I call them the "tom yum trinity." Tom yum can be made with any protein, including tom yum chicken, tom yum fish, and even tom yum with your leftovers, but the most popular version is made with shrimp, i.e. tom yum goong ต้มยำกุ้ง (goong means shrimp).
If I had to pick a national dish for Thailand this would be a strong contender because it's eaten all over the country and is loved by essentially everyone. It's served at street-side eateries, fancy restaurants, and is commonly made at home. It was also a staple in my elementary school cafeteria!
Thai people love tom yum flavour so much that we incorporate it into many other dishes like tom yum spaghetti, tom yum fried rice, and even tom yum pizza which was originally introduced by Pizza Hut in Thailand! You can also make a delicious tom yum stir fry or what we call "dry tom yum."
Ingredients and Notes
Here are all the ingredients for tom yum soup and important notes about them.
- Medium to large shrimp, head-on, shell-on preferable. The shrimp shells and heads are for making shrimp stock for maximum shrimpiness. If not available, or if you prefer a more neutral (less shrimpy) soup, you can use unsalted, preferably Asian-style chicken stock instead.
- Makrut lime leaves (previously known as kaffir lime leaves). Look for makrut lime leaves at stores that sell Southeast Asian products, and if fresh isn't available, look for frozen. Dried can work, but double the amount. For more info, read my guide to makrut lime leaves.
- Lemongrass. Fresh is best as it is the main flavour of the soup, but whole frozen lemongrass is fine (not chopped). Dried isn't ideal, but it's workable; you'll have to experiment with amounts but you can keep adding until the flavour really comes through. Do not use powdered. For more on lemongrass including how to freeze it, read my ultimate guide to lemongrass.
- Galangal. That's the knobby thing that looks a bit like ginger. Look for galangal at stores that sell Southeast Asian products, and if fresh isn't available, look for frozen. Dried pieces of galangal will also work in a pinch. Do not substitute with ginger, which tastes very different. For more on galangal including how to freeze it, read my ultimate guide to galangal.
- Thai chilies, the amount is to taste, but tom yum is supposed to be a spicy soup so I would add at least 1.
- Thai chilli paste/chili jam. Known as nam prik pao in Thai, this is a sweet-savoury thick paste that you can buy or make at home using this recipe. See more on this ingredient, including how to make tom yum without it below.
- Fresh lime juice. Fresh is the key word here.
- Fish sauce. Use good quality fish sauce as it is the main seasoning. Read more about fish sauce here including brand recommendations.
- Sugar. You may or may not need it, depending on the sweetness of your Thai chili paste.
- Oyster mushrooms, or another type of Asian mushrooms such as shimeji, enoki or fresh shiitake. If you can find them, straw mushrooms are the most common type used in tom yum in Thailand. Don't use button mushrooms, they're not nearly as good in soups.
- Cilantro for garnish, or you can also use sawtooth coriander (culantro) which is also common. Sub green onions if you don't like cilantro.
Pro Tip: The Secret to a Good Tom Yum
Your tom yum soup is only as good as the liquid you use as the base. For tom yum goong, I like to make a shrimp stock using the shrimp shells and heads for maximum shrimp flavour. Shells only is fine, but shrimp heads contain tomalley, which is that delicious orange fatty substance that I call "shrimp foie gras" and that adds a lot of richness and umami to the dish.
If shell-on shrimp are not available, you can use good chicken stock, though homemade is even better. Pork stock also works, as does fish stock if you want to stick to the seafood theme. Water is...okay...(sense my hesitation here?), but there is no flavour or body to water, so the soup will not taste as good.
How to Make Tom Yum Soup
Here's a bird's eye view of the process, but be sure to check out the full video tutorial below to ensure success! You can also watch the video on my YouTube Channel. The written recipe with detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- For the shrimp stock (skip to step 5 if using chicken stock): Peel and devein the shrimp, adding all shells and heads into a stock pot.
- Add a little oil, chopped daikon and/or onion into the shrimp shells.
- Saute the shells over medium high heat, pressing on the heads to get out the tomalley.
- Once the shells are all orange, and the bits stuck to the bottom of the bot start to brown, add the water and bring to a simmer; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Prep the herbs: Using only the bottom half of the lemongrass, cut ½-inch off the root end and then smash the stalk with the back of your knife or a pestle.
- Thinly slice the galangal. If you have frozen whole galangal, allow it to partially thaw at room temp for 10-15 minutes, until it's soft enough to slice; do not let it completely thaw.
- Twist the makrut lime leaves to bruise, then tear into chunks, removing the center ribs.
- Pound the Thai chilies into a rough paste, or finely mince them.
- Once the shrimp are done, scoop out the shells and discard. Measure out 4 cups of the stock then add to the pot. If you have a bit more, that's okay, if you don't have enough, add water to make up the shortfall.
- Add the herbs, the chilies, and the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the fish sauce and the Thai chili paste (it will help to loosen the chili paste first with a bit of the broth so it will dissolve more easily in the soup.)
- Bring the soup back to a boil, then add the shrimp and cook until halfway done, 30-45 seconds, then turn off the heat and allow the residual heat of the soup to fully cook the shrimp.
- Add the lime juice and then taste and adjust seasoning. Tom yum should lead with sour, but if it tastes too sour, add the sugar to balance. Tom yum is supposed to be served with rice, so it should taste strong on its own, but if you'll eat it on its own and it feels too strong, you can dilute it with some hot water.
- Stir in chopped cilantro or green onions.
- Serve with jasmine rice, and to eat it like a Thai, make 1-2 simple things to go along with it. I highly recommend a Thai omelette which is super easy and my favourite pairing with tom yum goong!
A Note on Nam Prik Pao - Thai Chili Paste/Chili Jam
When making tom yum with shrimp, nam prik pao or "Thai chili paste" is a key flavour. Technically it's not necessary, as you can make tom yum without it, and in fact, we only add it to tom yum made with shrimp, because the chili paste has a shrimpy flavour. However, if your goal is to recreate the tom yum you fell in love with at a Thai restaurant, you need to add it to achieve the same flavour profile - it makes a big difference.
You can either buy it - Pantainorasingh, Mae Pranom or Thai Kitchen brands are all good, though they vary slightly in flavour and sweetness - or you can also make it at home using this homemade chili paste recipe (which lasts indefinitely in the fridge).
How to Make Tom Yum Goong Without Thai Chili Paste
Add 1 cup of tomatoes, cut in wedges, when you add the shrimp, and add 1 teaspoon of sugar during the seasoning stage. The sugar will make up for the sweetness of the chili paste, and the tomatoes will make up for the umami. You can also try my tom yum chicken or tom yum fish recipes, both of which are delicious and do not require Thai chili paste.
A popular variation on the classic tom yum soup
You might have had creamy versions of tom yum soup...so what's up with those? Assuming you weren't actually having tom kha, there's a very modern version of tom yum in Thailand called tom yum goong nam kon or "creamy tom yum with shrimp".
I LOVE it, and I'd say I prefer it if it's the only thing I'm having because it's more substantial. Instead of the clear broth, we enrich it with....drumroll....evaporated milk! Surprise! Check out my creamy tom yum goong recipe here.
You might have thought coconut milk would be used, but evaporated milk is used to add richness and creaminess without interfering much with the flavours of tom yum. If you add coconut milk, which you absolutely can, the coconut milk flavour will come through in a major way. This isn't a bad thing at all, it's delicious, but it's different and will end up tasting a bit more like the other popular Thai soup - tom kha gai.
How to Eat Tom Yum Soup Like a Thai
*To see how to eat a Thai meal like a Thai, I recommend watching/reading my post on The Complete Thai dining etiquette!
You've made the soup...now how do you serve it like a Thai? The recipe calls for jasmine rice for serving...but do you put the rice IN the soup? BESIDE the soup?? All fair questions.
Tom yum, like most Thai soups, is typically served as part of a multi-dish, family-style Thai meal, and it is not served on its own. In Thailand, you would have a plate of jasmine rice in front of you, and all the main dishes in the centre to be shared with everyone. And the soup would be served into an individual small soup bowl which you keep on the side of your plate, and you eat the soup during the meal alongside everything else.
You can also put a little bit of rice in your soup if that's how you like it. You can even put some of the broth on your rice on your plate. Finally, you can cook up some rice noodles and put it in the tom yum and have yourself a tom yum noodle soup!
Frequently Asked Questions
No. If you can't find fresh galangal, look for frozen or dried, or just leave it out. Many people want to substitute ginger because they kind of look similar (though you'll never mistake one for the other). But so do apples and pears, and they are very different tasting fruits!
If you use ginger, your soup will be tasty, but it'll taste different (like making apple pie using pears). To get the most authentic taste you're better off leaving it out entirely and letting the lemongrass and lime leaves do the heavy lifting. For more info on galangal check out my ultimate guide to galangal video here.
Tom yum is supposed to be spicy, but it spans a range of mild to fiery so it is customizable. I've been eating tom yum goong since elementary school, and that version was barely spicy! So if your tolerance is low, you can add 1 Thai chili for this recipe and it'll make it tickle just a little. But know that if you go to Thailand and order a tom yum, it will be quite spicy unless you're at a touristy place where they will make it mild for foreigners.
If you prefer something milder, check out my tom kha soup recipe. It uses all the same herbs, except it's enriched with coconut milk and is much less spicy and much more kid-friendly!
Note: The Thai chili paste used in this recipe is very mild, so don't add less of it because you're afraid of the spice or you'll sacrifice the other flavours that come with it. Reduce the amount of Thai chilies instead.
You can find tom yum made with just about every protein under the sun in Thailand. In fact, I even have a basic formula for making tom yum using any leftover meat. But it's not just a matter of substituting chicken for shrimp. There are some differences in techniques and ingredients.
Check out my recipes for tom yum chicken and tom yum fish, but otherwise feel free to experiment with other proteins using these two recipes as a guideline.
Glad you asked! While it's not common to find a vegan tom yum soup in Thailand, a delicious version can indeed be made. Here's my vegan tom yum soup using a variety of mushrooms that is so satisfying you won't miss the meat.
Before you start, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success! I always include little tips and tricks not mentioned in the blog post. The video is in the recipe card below, but you can also watch it on YouTube!
Like this recipe? You'd also love these!
Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour lemongrass shrimp soup)
Ingredients
- 4 cups shrimp stock (recipe below) 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 (see note 1)
- 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
- ¼ cup Thai chili paste, (see note 2)
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Chopped cilantro, or sawtooth coriander, for garnish
- Jasmine rice, for serving
For the shrimp stock
- Shrimp shells and heads from above
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 4 ¼ cups water
- ¼ cup finely chopped daikon, optional
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion, optional
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Notes
- Galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves are traditionally left in the soup as garnish, but they are very tough in large pieces and are not meant to be eaten. Make sure you let your guests know not to eat the herbs or remove them after they're done infusing, before adding the mushrooms.
- Thai chili paste or nam prik pao is a dark red, oily paste that is sweet and savoury. See blog post above for more on it and what to do if you don't have it. Do not confuse this with tom yum paste, which is an instant soup paste and cannot be used in this recipe.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video to ensure success. If you enjoy them, consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!
Subscribe to my YouTube ChannelInstructions
For the Shrimp Stock (if making)
- Place the shrimp heads and shells into a stock pot along with the oil and the daikon and/or onion, if using. Saute over medium high heat, pressing out any tomalley from the shrimp heads with your spatula.Shrimp shells and heads from above, 1 tablespoon neutral oil, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, ¼ cup finely chopped daikon
- Once the bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot start to brown and smell wonderfully like grilled shrimp, deglaze with the water and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 5 minutes.4 ¼ cups water
- Use a wire skimmer to scoop out the shrimp shells and discard, if bits of veggies can remain in the soup, that's fine. Measure the amount of stock, and you will need to have 4 cups (960 ml) for the next step. If you're short, add water; if you have a little more, that's fine.
For the Tom Yum Soup
- Add the stock, lemongrass, galangal, chilies and mushrooms to the pot. Grab the lime leaves and twist them with your hands to bruise, then tear them into chunks, discarding the center ribs, and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 5 minutes.Note: The galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves are traditionally left in the soup as garnish, but are not meant to be eaten. Make sure you let your guests know not to eat the herbs or remove them after they're done infusing.4 cups shrimp stock (recipe below) or unsalted chicken stock, 2 stalks lemongrass, 6 makrut lime leaves, 8 slices galangal, 2-5 Thai chilies, 7 oz oyster mushrooms
- Turn the heat up to bring the soup to a boil. Ladle a little bit of the broth into the Thai chili paste and stir to loosen it so it will dissolve more easily into the soup; pour it into the soup. Add the fish sauce and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they're halfway done, 30-50 seconds depending on the size, then turn off the heat and let the residual heat cook the shrimp completely; another minute or so.12-15 medium or large shrimp, 3 tablespoon fish sauce, ¼ cup Thai chili paste
- Add the lime juice and taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. It should lead with sour, but have enough sweetness to balance. If it tastes too sour, add the sugar.½ cup fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve with jasmine rice. You can serve the rice on the side, or put the rice in the soup if that's what you prefer. See this post on Thai dining etiquette where I go through how to eat a Thai meal like a Thai!Chopped cilantro, Jasmine rice
Benjamin Prusinski says
this soup recipe is wonderful and super easy to make! I just bought your Thai cookbooks and subscribed also to your YouTube channel.
Naomi says
ABSOLUTELY GREAT. I always come back to this recipe (sometimes adding a few things) but it is by far the best Tom Yum Goon recipe.
I live next to a Thai grocery store (in London) so I'm able to buy all the authentic ingredients. Thank you!
Martin says
This soup inspired me to plant a makrut lime tree in my garden to get the best ingredients. It's something I make for special occasions. For any readers, the super key to this is making the shrimp stock. It supercharges the flavour.
Michelle Vera says
I am making this as I type. I have been looking for a recipe for this soup for a while. I found it (here) and then I needed to find the ingredients. I have everything I need. But I have one question. Do I serve the jasmine rice on the side or in the soup?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You can do either. Usually it's served as part of a meal and so the soup is served on the side, but you can also put rice into it if you want 🙂 See more on how to eat a Thai meal here: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/how-to-eat-thai-food/
Alyssa says
It can be hard to find fresh shrimps with the shell on where I live. Generally I only have access to frozen, de-shelled shrimp. I came up with the idea of using dried shrimp/a bit of anchovy/Japanese bonito flakes or some combination of these as part of the soup broth. Any feedback, if this could work well?
Donna Furtado says
Do I have to strain the soup or can I just eat the shrimp used to make the stock?
royce says
I can pretty much find all the ingredients except fresh lemon grass or frozen. Would lemon grass paste work? I can find that locally. And how much would I use for this recipe. Thanks
Anne says
Delicious. My only comment was sourcing fresh galangal. Couldn’t find it in grocery stores incl. T and T and they did not have frozen or dried. Ended up ordering dried from Amazon as well as the chili paste from ( Thai kitchen as T and T only had the instant Tom yum paste no nam prik pal there) perhaps include a substitution of dried for fresh galangal as I just estimated.THANK YOU!, Anne
Neil Stevens says
Also I think just a few halved fresh baby plum or cherry tomatoes are essential.
Neil Stevens says
This is pretty damn good. The only thing I'd change is cooking the fresh chillies in the soup, this makes it much too hot and masks the other delicate flavours. It's far nicer to add fresh chopped chillies at the end for a lovely fresh burst of heat while letting the other flavours shine through.
Ashley Miller says
Hi there! Could I use red curry paste instead of Thai chili paste or will that mess everything up? Thanks!
Neil Stevens says
That would definitely mess things up, the flavours profiles are very different. It would still be nice, just not Tom Yum.
MR. Anom says
Made this, first time, it came out great!! Thanks for the recipe
Elle says
I love all your recipes!!! They really are perfect and can be made at home as good as in Thailand providing i find the right ingredients.
Tom Yam is one of my favorite soups and my old tried recipe is much the same as yours. The problem i have is that in Thailand the soup is very clear, but as soon as i add the nam prik pao, it goes cloudy.. ...Any tips for getting this clear, or at least more clear and not cloudy?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Thank you so much! So clear tom yum are ones that don't have nam prik pao added, and that's probably what you're thinking of. So omit the nam prik pao and replace it with sugar (start with 1 tsp and taste and add more from there). You can also reference my chicken and fish tom yum recipes for examples of clear broth tom yum. Enjoy!
Jihan says
Hi! I tried making this! It was perfect! I wonder if i can make or stock a soup? Incase i want to make it a day after. Soup base of tom yum is what i want to stock. What is the ingredients for that? I hope to hear from you soon.
Have a great day
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Yup. What you can do is make the soup without the veg/protein/lime juice, then store or freeze that. When ready to eat bring to a boil and add all the stuff you left out 🙂
Teresa Ahmadyar says
I'm not satisfied with how my dish turned out. I think it's too bland and the fish sauce and lime overpowers the other flavors. However, before adding the fish sauce, the taste was spot on, just like restaurant-quality. I'm looking for a way to balance the flavors without the fish sauce and lime dominating the dish.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Did you by any chance use tom yum paste and not Thai chili paste? Sounds like you used the wrong ingredient. Tom yum paste is an instant soup base and it would taste "fine" without any seasoning.
Alicia says
In this country I can find lemon grass, with difficulty, makrut and galangal no frozen or dry. My only hope is an asiatic shop but is far away. Thai paste yes.
Let's see next Saturday.
All my family loves asiatic food, and my son loves to cook.
jon says
LOL!! You absolute sociopath!! "It's nice to look in the eyes of the animal you're eating"!!! Great video! Thanks.
Don Carr says
I made this one too and it’s better than my favorite Thai restaurant makes!!!
Red says
So excited to try this! Just found heads on shrimp at Costco!
Red says
Is it better to cook shrimp with peel on or off?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
peel the shrimp and use the shell to make the stock, but put the shrimp shell-off into the soup!
Chris Simmons says
I have a compliment and a question. This recipe was absolutely outstanding. I’ve eaten in the best restaurants and no flavor outdoes this dish! The question: I’m an anal Harvard MBA who computes everything. My math on the nutrition came to almost twice your calories and one third your carbs- I’m on keto so it matters. Maybe iiam using wrong inputs for nutrition of the shrimp stock and for the chili paste. Can you share your nutrition assumptions for one cup of shrimp stock and for one tablespoon of the chili paste? I plan to eat this VERY OFTEN but for weight management I need to reconcile the difference in our calculations. I’m hoping your lower calorie count is correct. I assumed 75 calories per cup of stock and my app told me to assume 207 for the quarter cup of chili paste.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the flavours!
So, I use a plugin that automatically calculates these things, and I took a closer look and indeed there was a mistake. It didn't have "shrimp stock" in the database so it was entering it as 0, I changed this to chicken stock which is the closest thing. It also doesn't have Thai chili paste, so korean chili paste was used instead as it would be similar at least in terms of weight per volume. The new total came to 207 calories per serving. I'd prob trust your result over mine if you are able to use data for Thai chili paste. SOrry for the confusion and thank you for pointing this out!
Allen says
Thanks for sharing!
Max says
Hi Palin!
I've been on the hunt for fresh or frozen makrut lime leaves for a while now, to no avail. I live in central NJ near H-Mart and a few Patel Brothers locations. While I had no trouble with galangal, lemongrass, or nam prik pao, makrut limes + leaves keep eluding me! I have two questions:
1.) Are there any online retailers that sell frozen makrut lime leaves that you'd recommend?
2.) I've seen jars of tom yum paste/concentrate. Are there any health concerns with using them for the time being, until I can get my hands on makrut lime leaves? I love that you described tom yum goong as a guilt-free, nutrient & protein-packed dish. I imagine that's for the "from-scratch" version, but how do the pastes generally compare?
I appreciate any help. Thanks!
Maximilian de Martino says
*Pailin
LauraLee says
You can get them online, and this is from my favorite online Thai grocery https://grocerythai.com/Fresh-Kaffir-Lime-Leaves-1.5-oz. They have almost everything you’d ever want for Thai ingredients and cookware. I got a traditional bamboo steamer and pot for sticky rice that’s perfect. Highly recommend their products.
v says
just a tip - if you can go into manhattan. In china town there is a store called bangkok center grocery on mosco st (this little ally) and it's where i buy all my thai ingredients including the makrut lime leaves. you could easily buy 10 bags of them and keep them in your freezer and have enough for many uses for a long time.
Michael says
I’m a big fan of Thai food and over the years I must have eaten at countless Thai restaurants, most of them superb and one or two
not quite so. Tom Yum soup is by far my favorite and I can honestly say that when I made it for myself (first time I’ve ever tried making any kind of Thai food) using this recipe, I considered it the best Tom Yum I’ve ever had! It was delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing this. The video was extremely helpful.
LauraLee says
Exactly what I think Tom Yum should taste like, spicy, sour, and addictive. My relatives who’ve never had it, loved it too. Thanks for sharing your childhood recipes with the world!
Wouter Oosting says
Made the soup yesterday and certainly was superb! I was wondering if for more flavour one should pre bake the shrimp and mushrooms? The Asian kitchen usually puts shrooms in uncooked. Tip for people who use the awesome metric x2 feature... 240ml of lime juice is humungus, maybe buy a bottle.
Martina says
Awesome Tom Yum Goong!
I followed the recipe and came out simply perfect!
Just a question: if I m going to freeze it, should I remove the infusion trinity or leave it?
Thanks for you recipes, they are great!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You can leave them in there, not a problem. If you are making to freeze, consider leaving out the lime and adding it fresh when you reheat for best flavour 🙂
Silvie says
Love this soup and recipe! Finally one that tastes authentic. Thank you for sharing it.
lot says
good day,
is this for 1 liter soup? What is the price in total? i want to make it for a very big group.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
This recipe would serve 4 people.
Harry says
If the Chili Paste is made with Shrimp paste but not recommended to be added to the Chicken Tom Yum Soup, can you still add the Chili Paste to the 3- chili fried rice dish with chicken? I'm confused because the 3-chili fried rice dish with chicken calls for the Chili paste. Looking forward to making this Tom Yum Goong and many other recipes with homemade chili paste. Thanks so much.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Hi Harry, it's not that the chili paste is "not recommended" for chicken tom yum, but it is not the way chicken tom yum is traditionally made because that dish is intended for you to taste the flavour of the chicken broth, which will be covered up by the chili paste flavour. You can absolutely put chili paste in your chicken tom yum if that's the flavour that you want in the soup. And you can add chili paste to any dish, containing any protein.
Melissa says
The best thom yum koong, I’ve ever made! Thanks for sharing:)
Alison says
Thank you for adding the ingredient amounts in the instructions. Much easier that way.
Vien n says
Is it really 45 min to simmer the shrimp shells for the tom yum soup? Or you mean 4-5 min? It just seems a bit long for just shrimp shells.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
When making any kind of stock, you want to give it time for flavours to come out and things to break down. But if you're short on time you can get away with 30.
Deepak says
I made this soup a few days ago and stayed true to the recipe. It was one of the most delicious Tom Yum Goong soups I've ever tasted. The prawn stock, galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and the chilli lent a lot of aroma and flavour to the soup. Thank you Pailin for this easy and absolutely delicious recipe.
Stylianos Mani says
When making stock with meat it needs to simmer for a few hours but with with fish and shellfish 30 minutes max is all that's needed
RayMo says
cook them down for at least that long so you get all the flavors!!!!!!!! just the shells, not the meat, so so good and a great way to use all the parts of the shrimp! once you try it you'll want to do it all the time, it really makes the difference between an alright soup and a GREAT one.
Christina says
I have trouble finding lime leaves where I live. What can I substitute?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Unfortunately there's no good substitute, so I would encourage you to find alternative forms such as frozen or dried.
KimHoang says
I want to make this soup.Can I use Tom yum paste to by pass ?
Will I just need to add shrimps and mushrooms and tomatoes and can baby corns in to soup? Thank you
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Sure, if you want the "instant" version, just follow instructions on the jar.
Yy says
Hello there! I am looking forward to try your recipe for this as it looks so good! Can I check if the chilli paste is the same as tomyum Paste?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Hi! No, tom yum paste is an instant paste that you can just add water to for an instant tom yum broth, and chili paste is an ingredient in that paste. To make it from scratch you'll need to buy the chili paste.
Lisa says
This soup is delicious! I didn’t have shrimp broth so used chicken broth, and so freaking yummy. Thank you for the recipe!
Adam The HTK Intern says
Thanks and welcome! 🙂
Preshni says
Best recipe ever! It was so easy to make too. Thank you! My husband and I really enjoyed this delicious dish and I loved making it!
Futile Resistance says
A great version of this classic dish, brought to us by Pailin in her glamourous era!
Mihaela says
It’s absolutely delicious. I fell in love with this soup while in Thailand and your recipe is the best. Your are amazing! 🤗
Crystal Hansen says
This recipe is absolutely perfect. I've never had a better Tom Yung Goong.
Thank you!