Difficulty Level: Easy

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients

• 1 stalk lemongrass 
• 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chili (or to taste)
• 3 makrut lime leaves
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (sliced thinly)
• 12 to 14 medium or large raw shrimp (shelled)
• 1 green or red bell pepper (sliced)
• Optional: 1 handful cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Garnish: sprig fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)

To Cook

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Prepare the lemongrass: Finely mince the lower third of the stalk and keep the upper part whole.
3. In a deep cooking pot, pour the chicken stock and turn heat to medium-high. Add prepared lemongrass to the pot, including upper parts of the stalk you didn’t mince. Boil 5 to 6 minutes, or until fragrant.
4. Reduce heat slightly to achieve a nice simmer. Add garlic, chili, lime leaves, and mushrooms to broth. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes.
5. Add shrimp, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes (if using). Simmer 5 to 6 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and plump.
6. Turn down the heat to low and add coconut milk and fish sauce. Taste-test and adjust as needed.
7. Serve in bowls with fresh cilantro sprinkled over as a garnish. Enjoy. 

All about Tom Yum Soup

What is Tom Yum Soup?

Originated in Thailand, this is sometimes called Tom Yam and is a soup that normally includes shrimp in a hot and sour serving. The words Tom Yam mean “boiling” or “hot” and “spicy and sour” which perfectly describes this soup.

Origins of Tom Yum Soup?

Although the exact history of Tom Yum Goong is not fully known, it is widely believed that it is a Thai soup originated from Central Thailand, where there is an abundance of fresh shrimp in the Chao Phraya River.

Over the years, the soup has become a favourite in Thailand and quickly spread around the world thanks to its relatively simple preparation and fantastic flavours. Many western cultures have been exposed to Tom Yum Goong and it has become a staple dish of Thai restaurants that serve customers from all over the world. New ingredients have been added here and there, most notably the choices of meat and the herbs used in creating the paste. While some modern versions of Tom Yum Goong use straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms, some restaurants added Nam Phrik Phao, a Thai chilli pasta which gives the Tom Yum soup an orange colour and enhances the chilli flavour in the soup.