Thai Tom Yum Soup
Experience the vibrant and aromatic flavors of Thailand with this comforting, hot, and sour soup.
Ingredients
- •4 cups chicken broth (1 liter)
- •3 stalks lemongrass, tender white parts only, bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces
- •5 slices fresh galangal or ginger
- •4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- •2 cups button mushrooms or straw mushrooms, halved (200g)
- •2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or sliced (300g)
- •3 tablespoons Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
- •3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- •2 tablespoons fish sauce
- •3-4 fresh Thai bird eye chilies, crushed
- •1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
- 2
Add the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, and let them boil for about 5 minutes until the broth becomes highly aromatic.
- 3
Add the mushrooms and cooked chicken, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
- 4
Stir in the Thai chili paste, fish sauce, and crushed Thai bird eye chilies, mixing well until the paste dissolves into the broth.
- 5
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the fresh lime juice.
- 6
Taste and adjust with more lime juice or fish sauce if needed.
- 7
Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve hot.
💡 Chef tips
- For a richer soup, you can swirl in a quarter cup of coconut milk just before removing from the heat.
- Lemongrass and galangal are fibrous and meant to be left in the bowl as aromatics rather than eaten.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, adding fresh lime juice when reheating.
✅ How it should turn out
The finished soup should be a translucent reddish-orange broth with a fragrant citrus aroma, delivering a perfect balance of fiery heat, pungent saltiness, and bright sourness.