20 Minute Tom Yum Soup

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Sour and spicy, Tom Yum would have to be one of my favourite soups.  It’s a Thai soup, but you don’t need to travel to Thailand to get it, as it’s available in any Thai restaurant, pretty much anywhere you go. I just love it for its potent, fragrant flavour.

This clear and sour Tom Yum soup is fleshed out with prawns, tomatoes and mushrooms, with a medley of lemongrass, kaffir lime, chilli and galangal (ginger) to give it its punchy flavour.

While it may not be a ‘traditional’ method of making Tom Yum soup, I use a store-bought paste, as it just makes this dish so much easier to enjoy at home, whenever I like. So here is my recipe for Tom Yum soup…. it’s as rich in simplicity as it is in flavour!

Enjoy with gusto,
Jaimie

20 Minute Tom Yum Soup

This 20 minute recipe for sour and spicy Tom Yum soup is as rich in simplicity as it is in flavour.

Servings 4

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 litre fish stock
• 1 litre water
• 4 birdseye chillies thinly sliced (optional, according to taste)
• 2 stalks lemongrass bruised
• 10 centimetre piece galangal (ginger) sliced
• 8 kaffir lime leaves spines removed
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 200 grams cherry tomatoes halved (see note)
• 300 grams shitake mushrooms trimmed and quartered
• 600 grams uncooked prawns peeled, tails intact
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Juice of 2 fresh limes
• 4 sprigs coriander plus extra to serve
• Fresh lime wedges to serve

Instructions

• In a large wok or pot, place the fish stock, water, chillies, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and garlic, and bring to the boil.
• Once the liquid is boiling, add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Lower the heat and bring the soup to a simmer.
• Once simmering, stir in the prawns, fish sauce, spring onions and tom yum paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through (see note).
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and coriander. Give the soup a taste; it should be sour, salty, spicy and tangy. At this point you can adjust the flavours using lime and/or fish sauce. Balance the flavours, adding a little seasoning at a time, only if needed.
• Divide the soup among serving bowls and top with fresh coriander and lime wedges. Serve immediately (see note), and enjoy!

Notes

To add an extra pop of colour, I used an heirloom tomato medley for this recipe, consisting of gold, grape and cherry tomatoes.

The prawns are cooked when they are firm and opaque. Be careful not to overcook, or else they end up with a rubbery texture.

A simple bowl of steamed Jasmine rice pairs perfectly with this Tom Yum Soup.

Author: Jaimie A.

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Did you make this recipe?

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