Tom Yum

Tom Yum (or Tom Yam) is a Thai soup flavored with lemongrass and lime leaves. For a different version, replace the shrimp with chicken and make the soup with chicken stock.
Ingredients
- ½ lb shrimp, shell-on
- 6 cups water
- 2 slices galangal, dry or fresh
- 1 stalk lemongrass or lemon zest
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1 to 4 fresh Thai chilies, chopped
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk (opt.)
- 1 cup oyster mushroom or other mushroom
- 2 less-ripe tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup lime juice
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp sugar or honey (opt.)
- ½ cup cilantro
- Sambal oelek to serve
Method
-
1
Peel shrimp. Place shells in a pot with water. Boil 5 minutes. Filter stock and return to the pot.
-
2
Add galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, shallot, chile, fish sauce, and, if you like, coconut milk. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.
-
3
Add peeled shrimp and mushrooms. Cook 2 more minutes. Add tomato and cook 1 minute more.
-
4
Remove from heat. Add lime juice and chopped cilantro to the pot. Taste and adjust with salt, fish sauce, and/or palm sugar. Serve with sambal olek on the side.
A variation of the Fish and Pineapple Soup from The Spice Trekkers Cook at Home