Tom Yum Goong
Hot and sour Thai shrimp soup with lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 212 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 20 min
Hot and sour Thai shrimp soup with lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves. The aromatics are only simmered and not eaten, so they can be roughly chopped before going into the pot. A soup that smells intensely fragrant, wakes you up, and is still ready in half an hour.
Why this works
The flavor sits in the shrimp shells, not in the meat. Their chitin is permeated with amino acids and astaxanthin, which release color and depth into the broth when boiled. That is why the shells go into the pot first and the shrimp themselves last. Lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves remain coarse because their flavors sit on the surface and transfer in minutes. Finely chopped, they would be difficult to fish out of the soup.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Shell the shrimp
Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp and set the meat aside. Do not throw away the shells under any circumstances, as they contain most of the flavor. Roast them in a pot with a little oil for two to three minutes until they are bright red and intensely fragrant.
- 2
Start the broth
Pour the chicken broth over the roasted shells and add the lemongrass, galangal, and half of the lime leaves. Let everything simmer gently for fifteen minutes without boiling vigorously, then pour the broth through a sieve. What is now in the pot carries the entire character of the soup.
- 3
Cook the vegetables
Bring the strained broth back to a simmer in the pot and add the mushrooms, tomatoes, remaining lime leaves, and bruised chilies. Let everything simmer for five minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the tomatoes burst and release their sweetness.
- 4
Season
Stir in the Nam Prik Pao, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The chili paste makes the soup slightly cloudy, gives it an orange-red color, and brings a smoky depth that is otherwise missing. Taste it to ensure it is salty and savory. The acidity will come in a moment.
- 5
Shrimp and lime
Add the peeled shrimp to the simmering soup and let them poach for just two minutes until they are barely opaque. Remove the pot from the heat and only now stir in the lime juice, because cooked lime tastes bitter instead of fresh. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve immediately.
Our best tips
- The shrimp shells are the most important flavor carrier. Buy shrimp with the shell on, even if it is more work.
- Always add lime juice after taking the pot off the stove, otherwise the soup will become bitter.
- Lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves are not eaten. Roughly chopping them is enough, as they only release flavor.
Tasty variations
Tom Yum Nam Khon
Stir in 150 ml of coconut milk or evaporated milk at the end to create the creamy variation.
With chicken
Use 400 g of chicken strips instead of shrimp, then start the broth with chicken bones instead of shells.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 212 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| – of which sugar | 5 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
Where the 212 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nam Prik Pao?
A roasted chili paste made from chilies, shallots, garlic, and tamarind. It is mildly spicy and mainly brings roasted flavor. It is available in jars at Asian grocery stores.
Can I use ginger instead of galangal?
Yes, but the flavor is significantly different. Galangal is more resinous and citrusy. If you can get both, use galangal.
How spicy should the soup be?
Traditionally quite spicy. The chilies are only bruised, not chopped, so you release heat but can easily take them out again.
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