Tom Yum Goong Soup is a tangy, robust, and aromatic soup made with tofu, shrimp, and mushrooms. You can customize the soup with other vegetables and fungi. This recipe does not call for coconut milk, but its addition is optional. Serve this soup with steamed rice or salad.
Origin:
Like most Asian dishes, the “Tom Yum Goong” is ancient but poorly documented, relying instead on oral tradition. Believed to have originally come from Central Thailand on the banks of the Chao Phraya River where shrimp is abundant, the first written record in Thai date back to 1888 and is called the “snakehead fish tom yum”. The first mention of shrimp in the ‘Tom Yum’ is from 1897 from an American missionary in a recipe titled “Tom Yum Goong With Additional Garnish”.
The phrase “tom yum” is a kind of portmanteau because “Tom” refers to the boiling process, while “yum” refers to a famous spicy and sour salad. The signature rich red-yellow-orange colors give fair warning to the spicy savory nature of this dish. A fragrant herbal blend of lemongrass, chili, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce shape the flavor profile and gives it the legendary kick.
From its humble beginnings on the banks of the Chao Phraya, this dish has become a superstar Thai food ambassador that is beloved the world over. But as it traveled, so did the ingredients. While shrimp may have been its origin, I have seen a variety of proteins added to it, including ones that aren’t meat-based at all, most notably, evincing the use of mushrooms, especially shiitake, straw, and oyster mushrooms. Rather than rely on the traditional herbal blend, I have seen the use of Nam Phrik Phao, a Thai chilli paste, or even the Thai curry paste to enhance the flavor and provide the signature color. Some times, the addition of coconut milk softens the spicy profile of this dish and provides another variation of a theme.
As I said, this dish brings a fair share of memories, but no one can underestimate the fresh, robust, and complex flavors of this soup nor can they expect that there are only two versions of this soup. Every country brings its own spin to this wonderful platform dish.
How to make Tom Yum Goong Soup:
- Prepare the marinade:
- Grind the ingredients for the marinade using a stone mortar and pestle or grinder.
- Marinate the cleaned shrimp for 15 minutes.
2. How to make the soup:
- Crush the lemon grass stalks using a stone mortar and pestle or the side of a knife.
- Heat a clay pot, add peanut oil and sauté the lemon grass and shrimp for 3 minutes.
- Add the palm sugar, stock or water, tamarind pulp, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Heat another pan, sauté tofu cubes with the Thai curry paste for 2 minutes.
- Sauté the mushrooms, onion, broccoli florets, salt, pepper, tomato for 2 minutes.
- Add the sautéed veggies and tofu to the soup.
- Season the soup with fish sauce and soy sauce. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro. Serve hot in a bowl after removing the lemon grass stalks.
1. If shrimp with the heads is available, then you could use the heads to make a stock by boiling them in water with some garlic for 20 minutes.
2. I used lime zest as I could not find kaffir leaves. Adding a few drops of lime juice at the very end makes the soup flavorful.
3. Another variation of this soup is to add some coconut milk.
Serving suggestions:
Tom Yum Goong Soup is served with steamed rice or salad. If you like this soup, you could also try my Thai Coconut Soup Recipe.
Storing:
Tom Yum Goong Soup tastes good when it is consumed fresh. You could refrigerate it for a day.
Tom Yum Goong Soup
Equipment
- clay pot
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 12 shrimp
- 3 Thai bird's eye chili
- 1 cilantro root
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1½ tbsp galangal sliced
For the soup:
- 1 tsp Thai red curry paste
- 1½ tbsp tamarind pulp
- ¼ lb oyster mushroom
- 2 tsp coconut palm sugar
- 1½ cup tofu cubed
- 2 lemon grass
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 lime juice
- 6 broccoli floret
- 8 cup stock or water
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 4 sprig cilantro
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp white pepper ground
Instructions
Prepare the marinade:
- Grind the ingredients for the marinade in a stone mortar and pestle or grinder.
- Marinate the cleaned shrimp for 15 minutes.
How to make the soup:
- Crush the lemon grass stalks using a stone mortar and pestle or the side of a knife.
- Heat a clay pot, add peanut oil and sauté the lemon grass and shrimp for 3 minutes.
- Add the palm sugar, stock or water, tamarind pulp, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Heat another pan, sauté tofu cubes with the Thai curry paste for 2 minutes.
- Saute the mushrooms, onion, broccoli florets, salt, pepper, tomato for 2 minutes.
- Add the sautéed veggies and tofu to the soup.
- Season the soup with fish sauce and soy sauce. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro. Serve hot in a bowl after removing the lemon grass stalks.
Notes
- Cook the slices of tomato towards the end so that they do not become mushy in the soup.
- Overcooking the vegetables will make them too soggy and mushy. You want the veggies to be cooked with a slight crunch.
Nutrition
Great protein-packed soup!
I love the sour taste!
great recipe!
this is really yummy!
Thanks!