Tom Yum Soup
A hot and sour Thai soup with prawns, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs. Light, refreshing, and full of flavour.
Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 15 minutes. Difficulty: Easy. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 300g prawns, peeled and deveined
- 200g mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 3cm pieces
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 3 slices galangal or ginger
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 bird's eye chillies, crushed (optional)
- 1 can straw mushrooms, drained (optional)
- 2 tablespoons tom yum paste (optional shortcut)
- Fresh coriander for garnish
Instructions
- Bring stock to a boil in a pot.
- Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. Simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.
- Add mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add prawns. Cook for 2–3 minutes until pink.
- Remove from heat. Add fish sauce, lime juice, and chillies.
- Taste and adjust — add more lime for sour, more fish sauce for salty.
- Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve hot.
Tips for Helpers
- Do not eat the lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal — they are for flavour only.
- Add lime juice after removing from heat so it stays fresh.
- Tom yum paste is a good shortcut if you cannot find fresh herbs.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Use chicken instead of prawns.
- Use regular ginger if galangal is unavailable.
- Tom yum paste replaces lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal in a pinch.