Tom Yum - The Spicy and Sour Thai Soup

'Tom-Yum' is one of the most popular soups in Thailand. Tom-Yum is famous for its spicy and sour tastes. However, it's also slightly salty and sweet. It includes many herbs and spices. Main vegetables in Tom-Yum are lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and chilies. Other vegetables include tomatoes, mushrooms and corianders.

Seasoning that are necessary consist of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and 'Nam-Prik-Pao' (a Thai chili paste). Nam-Prik-Pao is added to create a red-orange color and to make the chili flavor more dominant. Tom-Yum can be cooked with any kind of meat such as shrimps, pork, chicken and fish. It can be cooked as a vegetarian dish. But the most popular choice is cooking with shrimps which is called 'Tom-Yum-Goong'.

Easy steps for cooking 'Tom-Yum-Goong' are:

First, boil a broth or stock. Turn heat to medium-high.

Then, add lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. Boil for 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and shrimps. Boil for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Add fish sauce, lime juice, Nam-Prik-Pao and chilies as desired.

Finally, put the soup into a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

((Shrimps can be substituted with other meats and/or with vegetables you like.))

For more details on cooking 'Tom-Yum-Goong', click on this link.

Note: Coconut milk or milk can be added (optional to create a mellow taste) when seasoning to make a milky Tom-Yum soup called 'Tom-Yum-Nam-Khon'. ((Don't be confused with 'Tom-Kha' where galangal dominates the soup. Tom-Yum is usually made with shrimps whereas Tom-Kha is usually made with chicken.))

The coconut milk is often not added into Tom-Yum-Pla (Tom-Yum made with fish).

Shrimp paste is sometimes added into Tom-Yum-Goong to make a shrimp scent stronger.