Tom Yum Soup (Printable Version)

Spicy and sour Thai soup with lemongrass, lime, and shrimp. A fragrant, well-balanced dish ready in just 35 minutes.

# Ingredient List:

→ Broth Base

01 - 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
02 - 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
04 - 3 slices galangal or ginger
05 - 2 Thai bird's eye chiles, sliced

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

06 - 7 ounces mushrooms, sliced
07 - 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
08 - 1 small onion, sliced
09 - 3 cloves garlic, smashed

→ Protein

10 - 10 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined or tofu

→ Seasonings and Finish

11 - 3 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
13 - 1 teaspoon sugar
14 - 1 teaspoon chili paste (nam prik pao), optional
15 - Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - Lime wedges for serving

# How to Make:

01 - In a medium pot, bring the stock to a gentle boil. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chiles, garlic, and onion. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to infuse.
02 - Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender.
03 - Add shrimp or tofu and simmer until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili paste if using. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt, sourness, and heat as desired.
05 - Remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Serve with lime wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Each spoonful tastes like a mini flavor explosion without any heaviness lingering after.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, so it works for almost any dietary need without feeling limited.
  • The whole thing comes together in 35 minutes, which means dinner can be elegant and quick.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial 10-minute simmer of aromatics, because that's where the magic actually happens and rushing it means you get hot soup instead of complex, layered soup.
  • Taste constantly as you finish seasoning because these four flavors (sour, spicy, salty, savory) are all fighting for attention and balance is everything.
03 -
  • Smash your aromatics against the pot with the side of your knife or the bottom of a glass before adding them, because broken plant cells release their oils faster and more thoroughly than whole pieces ever will.
  • Keep fresh lime and cilantro separate until the absolute last second, because heat destroys their brightness and you want them tasting like a garden, not like something that's been cooked to death.
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