Tom Yum Goong
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Heat
- hot
Tom Yum Goong is Thailand in a bowl — a hot and sour soup that captures the entire spectrum of Thai flavor in every spoonful. The name itself is poetry: 'tom' means boil, 'yum' means the act of mixing, and 'goong' means shrimp.
What makes this soup extraordinary is the aromatic broth, built from lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and bird's eye chilies. These aromatics are not meant to be eaten — they are there to perfume the liquid, infusing it with a fragrance that is both invigorating and deeply comforting.
Ingredients
- 300 g Shrimp (heads on, peeled and deveined)
- 2 stalks Lemongrass (bruised and cut into 3-inch pieces)
- 5 slices Galangal (fresh, thinly sliced)
- 5 Kaffir lime leaves (torn to release oils)
- 3 Bird's eye chilies (smashed)
- 150 g Mushrooms (straw or oyster, halved)
- 6 Cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 3 tbsp Lime juice (fresh)
- 1 tbsp Nam prik pao (roasted chili paste)
- 1 handful Cilantro (for garnish)
Directions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the shrimp heads and shells (reserve the bodies). Simmer for 10 minutes to create a quick stock, then strain and discard the solids.
- Return the stock to a boil. Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and smashed chilies. Simmer for 5 minutes until the broth is deeply fragrant.
- Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
- Add the nam prik pao (roasted chili paste) and fish sauce. Stir to dissolve.
- Add the shrimp bodies. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they turn pink and curl — do not overcook.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust — it should be boldly sour, salty, and spicy in equal measure.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately. The aromatics are for fragrance, not eating — push them aside with your spoon.
Notes
Save your shrimp shells. Simmering them in water for just 10 minutes creates a deeply flavorful stock that forms the backbone of the soup. Without this step, you're left with a flat, one-dimensional broth.