This Tom Yum Soup Recipe has all the flavor of the authentic version in Thailand: Sour, pungent, acidic and hot.
Tom Yum Soup Recipe
This tom yum soup recipe is from Vatcharin Bumichitr’s Thai street food cookbook. It’s my favorite tom yum soup (or yam) recipe because it’s authentic and reminds me of my days living in Bangkok. It’s there that I discovered all these wonderfully pungent yet harmonious flavors Thai cuisine has to offers. It’s also there that I thought I was catching on fire from all the incredibly hot and spicy food I ate daily! I did eventually get used to it and now crave spicy chili sauce and fresh chilies on a weekly basis. The red bell peppers are my ‘healthy ingredient’ for this tom yum recipe, known to minimize wrinkles (I might as well take care of my skin at the same time!) while being a great source of vitamin A. I’ve simplified some steps of the recipe to make it easier and less intimidating for those who aren’t familiar with Thai cuisine.
There are a lot of ingredients needed for this tom yum soup recipe but most of them are relatively easy to find in Asian grocery stores. Or you can buy these ingredients on Amazon (these are affiliate links):
- Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Dried Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Gluten Free Fish Sauce (considerably more expensive than regular fish sauce)
- Regular Fish Sauce
- Dried Thai Chilies
- Canned Straw Mushrooms
- Fresh Lemongrass Stalks
Plan a Thai dinner around this delicious tom yum soup recipe with easy Thai recipes such as Thai red curry, Thai basil chicken, spicy cucumber and shrimp salad or Thai fish sticks. If you are not too familiar with Thai ingredients, read my list of must have Thai ingredients, their taste, texture and how to use them. With this list you can make your own delicious Thai food all day long!
Did you like this Tom Yum Soup Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below!
PrintTom yum soup recipe
This Tom Yum Soup Recipe has all the flavor of the authentic version in Thailand: Sour, pungent, acidic and hot.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tom yum sauce (recipe below)
- 4 leaves kaffir lime (finely chopped)
- 1 4-inch piece lemongrass (roughly chopped)
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 cup red bell pepper (finely sliced )
- 3 or 4 fresh Thai chilies (roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 16 straw mushrooms (roughly chopped (or 8 button mushrooms))
- 8 large shrimps (shelled and deveined)
- lemon wedges (for garnish)
Tom Yum Sauce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic (sliced in half)
- 4 shallots (roughly chopped)
- 2 Thai chilies (roughly chopped)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground dried shrimps
Instructions
- Directions for tom yum sauce
- In a small pot, add oil, garlic, shallots and chilies and cook until garlic is golden brown (3-4 minutes). Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool in a bowl (don’t leave it in the pot as it will burn).
- Once the mixture has cooled, add to a mixer along with sugar, salt and ground shrimps. Blend until smooth or paste like.
- Directions for soup
- In a large saucepan, heat the stock with the tom yam sauce.
- Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, lemon juice, fish sauce, chilies, and sugar, then bring to a boil and simmer for two minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and shrimp and cook for a further two to three minutes, or until the shrimps are cooked through.
- Serve tom yum soup with fresh chiles and lemon wedges.
Notes
My favorite ingredients for this recipe:
- Red boat fish sauce – all natural, 100% pure
- Ground dried shrimp
Nutrition
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 5.4
- Sodium: 3052
- Fat: 11.7
- Saturated Fat: 2.5
- Carbohydrates: 13.2
- Fiber: 1.9
- Protein: 8.3
- Cholesterol: 34