Local Food Blog

A Thai delicacy at last! Well, the Tom Yum soup can also be found in Laos. However, the Lao version has a bit of rice in it and I, personally, prefer the soup without rice in it. The Tom Yum soup is a dish that helps in boosting your immune system substantially. Yes! You heard me right. Lot of scientists are researching on the curative properties of this delicious soup and reckon that it can be used to cure dieses like common cold, flu and maybe even cancer.

The Tom Yum soup is one of the most popular soups in the world and is widely consumed in the South Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. It is distinguished by its hot and sour taste and the fragrant herbs that are generally added to it. The Tom Yum Goong, one of the versions of the Tom Yum soup, also has a bit of coconut milk added to it and is my favorite.

The Tom Yum Goong is complete when prawns, chicken, fish and mushrooms are added to it. It is topped with a liberal sprinkle of coriander leaves and tastes really nice. Therefore, I have mentioned my personal recipe for this delicious soup below along with the list of required ingredients.

Ingredients Required:
Here is the list of the essential ingredients required to make the Tom Yum Goong.

• Four to six cups of tasty chicken stock.
• One stalk of lemongrass finely minced.
• Three leaves of kaffir lime.
• 3-4 garlic and cloves finely minced.
• One or Two red chilies finely chopped. Depends upon your personal preference.
• Three tablespoons of fish sauce.
• A liberal quantity of shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced.
• Twelve shrimps with their shells removed.
• ½ can of coconut milk.
• 1/3 cup of fresh coriander finely chopped.
• One tablespoon of lime juice freshly squeezed.
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. (optional)
• Vegetables like broccoli and tomatoes. (optional)

Directions for Preparation:

• Pour your chicken stock into a deep cooking pot.
• Bring the pot to boil.
• Add the lemongrass and boil for one or two minutes.
• Add the chili, garlic, lime leaves and mushrooms.
• Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Add the shrimps and the vegetables.
• Let the mixture simmer for 3-4 minutes until the shrimps are plump and pink.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce, coconut milk and the lime juice.
• Stir well until completely hot.
• Test your soup for spice and salt.
• If you feel that the salt is less, add one more tablespoon of fish sauce instead of salt.
• If the soup is too sour, add half a teaspoon of sugar to it.
• If you want your soup to be creamier than it is, add some coconut milk to it.
• Serve your Tom Yum Goong in bowls and top it with coriander. For the extra hint of spiciness, add some Thai Chili sauce.