Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup)
Tom Yum Goong is a classic and popular Thai soup featuring lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves & chilies. Sometimes referred to as Tom Yum Soup, it is most commonly prepared with shrimp. Tom means "boil", Yum means "mix" and Goong means "shrimp" in Thai, so this literally translates as boiled, mixed shrimp. While I haven't tried other preparations, it could be made with chicken or perhaps lobster (which I will try and report back, watch this space). Whatever it means, YUM just means delicious!
Equipment
- Stock Pot (5 Quarts or larger)
- Strainer
Ingredients
For the BROTH
- 2 TBSP Canola or Peanut Oil
- Shells & Heads from 2 lbs of Shrimp
- 8 Lemongrass stalks, trimmed (last 6")
- 8 Galagal slices (1/4" thick)
- 12 Kaffir Lime Leaves, spines removed & torn
- 12 Thai Chilies (red or green), stem end cut
- 1 Fresno or Serrano Chili, sliced in half lengthwise
- 8 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock or Broth
- 1 TBSP Thai Red Curry Paste
For the SOUP (4 Servings)
- 6 Cups Broth
- 1 Pound Large Shrimp (U31/35), peeled & deveined (about 8 shrimp per person)
- 8 Ounces Button Mushrooms, cleaned and halved or quartered
- 3 TBSP Fish Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro Leaves
- 1 Fresno chili, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
To Make the BROTH
- Heat oil over medium high heat until hot.
- Add shrimp shells and cook until they turn pink, about 2 minutes.
- Add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and chili peppers and give a quick stir.
- Add the stocks and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, partially covered for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavors to steep.
- Strain the broth into another pot, discarding all of the solids. Add the curry paste. At this point, you may either proceed to making the soup, or reserve the broth for later.
To Prepare the SOUP (4 Servings)
- Bring 6 Cups of prepared brother to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and add mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes, covered.
- Add the shrimp and cook until they just turn pink.
- Turn off the heat and add the fish sauce and lime juice.
- Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves and fresno chili slices (optional). Serve immediately with lime wedges. YUM!
Notes
KTINA's TIPS
- If you can't find head on shrimp, the shells and tails alone are just fine, but using head on shrimp makes for a much more flavorful broth full of umami.
- If you've sourced the ingredients for Thai curry pastes, you have the key ingredients for this. If you have access Asian markets, such as the chain H-Mart, you can probably find lemongrass, galangal and Kaffir lime leaves there, otherwise I've been able to find them on Etsy when I can't source them locally.
- I have prepared this recipe for medium spice. If you want more spice, you can add more Thai curry paste, but serving some sliced fresno chilies on the side allows people to personalize to their desired spice.
- My local fish market always has beautiful head on Gulf shrimp, but sometimes I need to call ahead to make sure they have them thawed. They are extra large and pricey, so I usually use the shells to make the broth and use the shrimp for another dish where they are the main dish. I then simply thaw some peeled, deveined shrimp when I want to make the soup.
- My local Thai market has bins of head on shrimp that are much more economical, and are the perfect size for the soup.
- I have a great stock pot called a "Multi-Pot" that has a strainer insert, that is perfect for pasta. It is particularly useful for this, as you can simply lift the strainer insert and retain the broth in the pot (only 1 pot to wash).
- Make it your own! Try other varieties of mushrooms such as shitake, enoki, etc.
- The broth freezes well, so you can make the soup in minutes once thawed.