Tom Yum Goong

Name: Tom Yum Goong
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Thailand
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) raw shell-on shrimp, large; peeled and deveined, shells and heads kept; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1¼ l (5 cups) water or chicken stock, Chicken Stock or store-bought; 3 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, cut into 4 cm lengths and bruised; 30 g (1 oz) galangal, thinly sliced; or fresh ginger; 6 makrut lime leaves, torn, center vein removed; 3 Thai bird's-eye chilies, bruised; use 1–5 to taste; 200 g (7 oz) oyster or straw mushrooms, torn or halved; 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges; 2 tbsp Thai chili paste (nam prik pao), optional, for a red, richer broth; 3 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste; 1 tsp sugar; 60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice, from 2–3 limes; 15 g (½ cup) cilantro, leaves and tender stems

Thailand's hot-and-sour shrimp soup, fragrant with lemongrass and lime

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 45 min
Level: Some skill

A clear, fiery, sour broth perfumed with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves, with shrimp poached at the last minute. This version makes a quick stock from the shrimp shells, which gives the soup its depth, and balances heat, sour, salt and a little sweetness in the bowl rather than by the recipe alone.

Ingredients

500 graw shell-on shrimp (1 lb 2 oz)large; peeled and deveined, shells and heads kept
1 tbspneutral oil
1¼ lwater or chicken stock (5 cups)Chicken Stock or store-bought
3lemongrass stalkstrimmed, cut into 4 cm lengths and bruised
30 ggalangal (1 oz)thinly sliced; or fresh ginger
6makrut lime leavestorn, center vein removed
3Thai bird's-eye chiliesbruised; use 1–5 to taste
200 goyster or straw mushrooms (7 oz)torn or halved
1medium tomatocut into wedges
2 tbspThai chili paste (nam prik pao)optional, for a red, richer broth
3 tbspfish sauceplus more to taste
1 tspsugar
60 mllime juice (¼ cup)from 2–3 limes
15 gcilantro (½ cup)leaves and tender stems

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: crustaceans, fish, celery
Origin: Thailand

Method

Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and heads and fry, stirring, until bright pink and fragrant, 2–3 minutes. 3 min
Add the water or stock, bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Strain, pressing the shells to extract the juices, and return the broth to the pot. 10 min
Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chilies. Simmer 5 minutes to infuse. 5 min
Add the mushrooms, tomato and chili paste if using. Simmer 2 minutes. 2 min
Add the shrimp and cook just until pink and curled into a loose C, 1–2 minutes. Turn off the heat. 2 min
Stir in the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Taste: it should be sharply sour, salty and hot, with just a touch of sweetness. Adjust with more lime, fish sauce or chili.
Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro. The lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves are for flavor, not for eating.

Why it works

Shrimp shells carry most of the shrimp's flavor, and frying them first browns the proteins for a deeper stock. Lime juice is added off the heat because boiling drives off its fresh, volatile aroma and leaves it tasting flat and harsh. Bruising lemongrass and chilies breaks their cell walls so their aromatic oils dissolve into the broth in minutes.

Common mistakes

Boiling the lime juice: it loses its fragrance and tastes flat. Always add off the heat.
Overcooking the shrimp: they go from tender to rubbery in under a minute. Pull the pot when they curl.
Following the seasoning blindly: limes and fish sauces vary. The final taste-and-adjust is the recipe.

Variations

Tom yum nam khon: For the creamy version, stir 100 ml evaporated milk or coconut milk into the pot with the fish sauce.
Chicken: Use chicken stock and 400 g sliced chicken thigh, simmered 5–6 minutes until cooked through (74°C, 165°F).

Make ahead and storage

Make the shell stock up to 2 days ahead or freeze it. Finish the soup just before serving.

Notes

Galangal and lime leaves freeze well; buy a batch from an Asian grocer. If you can't find lime leaves, add the finely grated zest of 1 lime with the lime juice.