Tom Yum Soup

Name: Tom Yum Soup
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Family
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 400 g shrimp, peeled; 200 g mushrooms, sliced; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised; 4 slices galangal or ginger; 4 kaffir lime leaves; 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 2 lime, juiced; to taste Thai chilies

Tom yum is the iconic Thai hot and sour soup, bright with lemongrass, lime, and chili. The fragrant broth is at once spicy, tangy, and savory, with plump shrimp and mushrooms. It is light yet intensely flavorful and comes together in about 30 minutes.

Thai Gluten-Free Dairy-Free High-Protein Pescatarian Stovetop Lunch Dinner Soup Quick (15-min) 30-Minute Shrimp

⏱ 30 min
📊 easy
🍽 Family

Ingredients

400 g shrimp, peeled
200 g mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
4 slices galangal or ginger
4 kaffir lime leaves
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 lime, juiced
to taste Thai chilies

Instructions

Bring the broth to a simmer with the lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves for 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and chilies and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat.
Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice.
Taste and adjust the balance of sour, salty, and spicy, then serve with cilantro.

💡 Chef's tip

Add the lime juice and fish sauce off the heat at the end; boiling them dulls the bright, fresh sourness that defines the soup.

Bruising the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves before simmering releases their aromatic oils, which is what gives tom yum its signature perfumed broth.