Tom Yum Goong or Tom Yum Kung (or Koong) is made with prawns. Goong is the Thai word for prawn and is the preferred type of the dish. Tom Yum Kai is made with chicken whereas Tom Yum Pla is made with fish. Tom Yum Thale (or Tom Yum Po Taek) is made with a mix of seafood and Tom Kha (Tom Kha Gai) may be a style of Thai coconut soup.
There are many other types, however whichever type of the dish you are trying, the premise of the soup is the same. It provides a delicious and unusual style of being hot whilst slightly bitter. The style was discovered hundreds of years ago by mixing many ingredients together.
The basic ingredients are: Lemongrass, Galangal, Kaffir lime leaves, Nam Pla fish sauce, Thai chilli paste and lime.
(tom yum goong) is probably the foremost famous Thai dish, each inside and out of doors of Thailand. It’s eaten fairly often here, usually during a kind of hot pot with fireplace underneath. There are hundreds of variations of tom yum, and this recipe includes the two commonest versions of Tom Yum Goong.
RECIPE
Ingridients:
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1" pieces and smashed a bit (about 1/3 cup)
6 lime leaves (1 tablespoon), torn with center vein removed
2 tablespoons galangal sliced thin
1 tablespoon coriander roots, about 2 roots
2 tablesoons shallots, whole with skin removed (1-2 shallots)
1 cup tomato (about 1 medium tomato), sliced into 6-8 pieces lengthwise
2 cups broth (pork, chicken)
1/2 cup straw mushrooms, ends removed and halved
2 tablespoons (about 7) red medium-sized thai chilies, smashed
4 or 5 medium-sized saltwater shrimp, whole and uncleaned, the fresher the better
pinch salt
1 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted chili paste
1 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste)
3 tablespoons milk (from a cow not a coconut). *optional
3 small dried chilies, roasted *optional - add if adding milk
1 tablespoon coriander chopped
How to Make:
Prepare all the ingredients. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass stalks and cut off the end. Cut into 1-2″ pieces and smash with the side of a heavy knife to release flavor. Tear the center vein off the lime leaves. Slice your galangal into thin slices. Cut the tomato into 6 pieces lengthwise. Peel the skin off the shallots and smash lightly. Clean your coriander roots well. Smash the fresh chilies with the back of a heavy knife, or in a mortar and pestle. If using fresh Thai straw mushrooms, slice the bottoms off and cut in 1/2 lengthwise. If making the version with milk: roast the dried chilies until fragrant and browned in a dry wok on medium heat (see note).
Clean the shrimp by peeling off the backs and snapping off the top part of the heads, but leave the fat on at the base of the head (the reddish brown goop). This is very important, as that fat imparts a signature flavor into Tom Yum Goong. Don’t discard it. Then, peel out the legs + intestine underneath, but leave the tails on. Set aside.
Boil the broth on high until it comes to a rapid boil. (see note about broth below). Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander root, galangal, shallot(s) and tomato. Boil for 4-5 minutes until the broth tastes herbal. if you’re using fresh ingredients, 4-5 minutes should be enough. In a separate pan, boil the mushrooms in plain water.
After you’ve boiled 4-5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and the shrimp. Strain the cooked mushrooms and add them to the soup as well. Cook until shrimp turn pink, about a minute.
Add the fish sauce and remove from heat. You will now season the soup.
Add lime juice, chili paste, smashed fresh chilies. Taste the soup. Is it sour? Is it salty? If no, add a bit more, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
If making the version with milk: Add the milk and dried chilies. If doing this step you’ll need to add a bit more lime juice and fish sauce as the milk tames it down a bit. Add about a teaspoon more of each.
Add cilantro and serve. This soup is best served really hot!
*from variety sources
*from variety sources