This Delicious Tom Yum Soup Comes Together in Less than 30 Minutes (2024)

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Perry Santanachote

Perry Santanachote

Perry is a food writer, photographer, and recipe developer based in New York City. She cooks every day, and somehow eats even more often. Her recipes have been published in Eating Well, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Thrillist, and Tone It Up. Perry grew up in Denver, Colorado and was raised by two grandmothers who taught her the importance of cooking with all five senses and never adhering to a diet with a name. She has a degree in anthropology and a slightly more practical master’s degree in journalism.

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published Dec 22, 2021

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This Delicious Tom Yum Soup Comes Together in Less than 30 Minutes (1)

You can make this flavor-packed soup in just under 20 minutes.

Serves2 to 4Prep5 minutesCook13 minutes

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This Delicious Tom Yum Soup Comes Together in Less than 30 Minutes (2)

Tom yum is a Thai soup with shrimp and a broth that features salty, sour, sweet, and spicy flavors. “Tom” translates to “boiled” and “yum” translates to “medley,” which refers to the soup’s dressing. Yes, this soup has a dressing. Thai salads are called yum, and yum vinaigrette is made up of fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, and chilies. Add boiling hot broth to it and you’ve got tom yum, or “salad soup.”

In addition to the yum, the soup features herbs — lemongrass, cilantro, and makrut lime leaves — that give it a bright aroma. The makrut lime plant is used more for its leaves than its fruit. The leaves offer a strong, earthy-citrus scent and can be found in many Asian grocery stores (either in the produce section or frozen).

What Does Tom Yum Soup Taste Like?

The flavor of tom yum should be sour upfront from lime juice, then salty from fish sauce, with a mild sweetness from nam prik pao paste. You might not be able to necessarily taste the lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, but these aromatics should hit your nose while you slurp.

What’s the Difference Between TomYum and Tom Kha?

These are the two most popular soups outside of Thailand, and while they both contain similar ingredients (lemongrass, makrut, lime juice, Thai chilies), there are distinctions that set them apart.

  • The main difference between the two soups is galangal, a fragrant root, which tom kha is named for. Tom yum sometimes has galangal too, but it’s not the star ingredient.
  • Tom yum contains nam prik pao paste (also known as chile jam), which is a roasted chile paste that contains dried shrimp, shallot, garlic, and tamarind.
  • Tom yum is often made with shrimp, while tom kha is commonly made with chicken.
  • While tom yum can sometimes have coconut milk, tom kha always has coconut milk.

Can You Freeze Tom Yum Soup?

The beauty of many Thai dishes is that they freeze really well. All of the aromatics (lemongrass, makrut, chiles) freeze beautifully, so you should buy them in bulk and keep them wrapped and frozen. The soup itself is also amenable to being frozen — just keep the shrimp out, which might turn mealy upon reheating.

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Tom Yum Soup Recipe

You can make this flavor-packed soup in just under 20 minutes.

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 13 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 stalk

    lemongrass

  • 5

    fresh makrut lime leaves (each leaf looks like 2)

  • 1 quart

    unsalted chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

  • 8 ounces

    oyster mushrooms

  • 2

    medium limes

  • 8 ounces

    uncooked peeled and deveined large or jumbo shrimp

  • 2 tablespoons

    nam prik pao paste (also known as chile jam)

  • 2 tablespoons

    fish sauce

  • 3

    fresh Thai or birds-eye chiles

  • 1/4 cup

    fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

  1. Trim off about 1/2 inch from the root end of 1 lemongrass stalk and 2/3 off the top. Peel off and discard the tough outer leaves until you reach the smooth and pale inner leaves. Cut this portion into 1-inch lengths and smash the pieces with a heavy object until they split. Use the heavy object to also bruise 5 fresh makrut lime leaves, then tear each leaf into about 8 pieces.

  2. Place the lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, and 1 quart unsalted chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth in a medium pot or large saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. The lemongrass and lime leaves will be very fragrant. Meanwhile, cut 8 ounces oyster mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and juice 2 limes until you have 1/4 cup juice.

  3. Remove and the discard the lemongrass and lime leaves. Add the mushrooms, 8 ounces peeled and deveined large or jumbo shrimp, 2 tablespoons nam prik pao paste, and 2 tablespoons fish sauce. Simmer until the shrimp turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

  4. Trim the stems from 3 Thai chiles. Add the chiles and lime juice to the pot and stir to combine. Sprinkle 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves on top just before serving. Warn your guests the chilies are there to add flavor and spice, and that they probably don’t want to eat the chilies whole (or remove them before serving).

Recipe Notes

Storing: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pot over medium-low heat or in the microwave.

Filed in:

Ingredient

thai

asian

Gluten-Free

pantry

seafood

This Delicious Tom Yum Soup Comes Together in Less than 30 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

What are the two types of Tom Yum soup? ›

There are two different types of Tom Yum soup. The original Tom Yum is a clear soup called Tom Yum Nam Sai. The later version, which is commonly seen and widely adored, is a vibrant-coloured, richer and creamier soup called Tom Yum Nam Khon as it has roasted chilli paste, evaporated milk or coconut cream added to it.

Why is Tom Yum so delicious? ›

Various aromatic ingredients are sliced, roughly pounded, and simmered to extract their flavor. These include fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chilis, shallots, and garlic.

What is the name of the clear Tom Yum soup? ›

Two types of Tom Yum

First up, let me explain that there's two different types of Tom Yum Soup: Clear Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Sai); and. CREAMY Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon) which is made from the clear version with the addition of evaporated milk and a good hit of Thai Chilli Paste.

What is a fun fact about 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. As a staple Thai dish, this famous Tom Yum Goong is served in Thai Square.

Is tom yum soup healthy? ›

It's a healthy pick. Tom yum has fewer than 100 calories per cup. It also has shrimp, veggies, and fragrant spices, such as lemongrass. Tom yum and other broth-based soups, like tofu-vegetable or wonton, are usually lower in fat and calories than soups made with coconut milk, such as tom kha.

What's the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Kha? ›

Tom Yum is much spicier, and has a clear broth. Tom Kha uses coconut milk to stabilize and mellow the flavors, making it both sweeter and slightly heavier. While both soups can be made with a variety of proteins, tom yum usually calls for shrimp, while tom kha is commonly made with chicken.

Is Tom Yum soup healing? ›

In modern version, some of the Tom Yum soups are made of straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms. It is generally believed that the ingredients used in making Tom Yum Goong are beneficial in improving one's health condition. Some researchers even suggested that these ingredients are effective in curing cancers.

How to eat Tom Yum? ›

While it's perfectly acceptable to eat tom yum soup on its own with some jasmine rice, in Thailand it's typically part of a bigger meal. Since the soup is light and tart, we want to pair it with something dry and/or rich: Vietnamese caramel chicken is a sweet-salty dish that would go perfectly with tom yum.

Is tom yum soup good for a sore throat? ›

Why is Tom Yum soup good for you when you're sick? Soup in general can be helpful when you're feeling sick. Inhaling the moist heat and drinking the warm broth can soothe a sore throat and help with the chills while keeping you hydrated.

What country is famous for Tom Yum? ›

Tom Yum Goong is considered Thailand's national dish and is one of the most famous Thai dishes in the world. It is a hot and sour soup made with shrimp, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chili peppers, and lime juice.

Is there a lot of sugar in Tom Yum soup? ›

Sugar is also added to tom yum soup to give it a slightly sweet flavor. There are about 12 grams of sugar in one can, which is relatively high among soups.

What does Tom mean in Thai food? ›

The Thai word for “boil” or tom (pronounced “dtome”) features prominently on Thai menus and tom yum goong is probably one of the most famous Thai dishes in the world.

What are the two 2 types of soups? ›

Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid (broth) than stews. In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups.

What is the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Yum Kai? ›

What is Tom Kah Gai? It's a spicy Thai coconut soup with galangal and chicken. Tom Kha is a creamy-spicy soup, made with coconut milk, whereas Tom Yum is a non-creamy, hot and sour soup, often containing prawns (shrimp).

What is the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Yum Goong? ›

Add the word “goong” which means “prawns” to tom yum and you get tom yum goong or sweet, sour and spicy soup with prawns.

What is the difference between red and clear for Tom Yum soup? ›

For Clear soup, we boil the soup with the spices whereas for Red, we grind the spices (lemon grass, chili padi and more) into a paste and add it to the soup.

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