Tom Yum Goong
Soupe thaïlandaise épicée et acidulée aux crevettes — un bouillon parfumé à la citronnelle, au galanga et aux feuilles de lime kaffir.
Servings
Ingrédients
Nutrition
Étapes
Build the aromatic base
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium pot. Add the lemongrass, galangal slices, and kaffir lime leaves. Let the aromatics simmer for 5 minutes — this infuses the broth with their essential oils and creates the soup's signature fragrance.
Add the mushrooms and chiles
Add the mushrooms and bird's eye chiles to the simmering broth. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. The chiles will gradually release their heat, so adjust the quantity to your spice tolerance.
Stir in the chili paste
Add the Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) to the broth and stir until it dissolves completely. This roasted chili jam adds a layer of smoky sweetness and deeper complexity that distinguishes tom yum from a simple clear soup.
Cook the shrimp
Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for 2–3 minutes until they curl and turn opaque pink. Be careful not to overcook them — they should be just done with a slight bounce when pressed. Remove the pot from heat immediately.
Season with lime and fish sauce
Off the heat, add the fish sauce and lime juice. Adding these off heat preserves the bright, sharp flavors that define tom yum. Taste and adjust — the soup should hit all notes: sour, salty, spicy, and slightly sweet.
Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls, making sure each serving gets plenty of shrimp and mushrooms. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and a thin slice of red chile. Serve steaming hot alongside jasmine rice for a complete meal.
Build the aromatic base
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium pot. Add the lemongrass, galangal slices, and kaffir lime leaves. Let the aromatics simmer for 5 minutes — this infuses the broth with their essential oils and creates the soup's signature fragrance.
Add the mushrooms and chiles
Add the mushrooms and bird's eye chiles to the simmering broth. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. The chiles will gradually release their heat, so adjust the quantity to your spice tolerance.
Stir in the chili paste
Add the Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) to the broth and stir until it dissolves completely. This roasted chili jam adds a layer of smoky sweetness and deeper complexity that distinguishes tom yum from a simple clear soup.
Cook the shrimp
Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for 2–3 minutes until they curl and turn opaque pink. Be careful not to overcook them — they should be just done with a slight bounce when pressed. Remove the pot from heat immediately.
Season with lime and fish sauce
Off the heat, add the fish sauce and lime juice. Adding these off heat preserves the bright, sharp flavors that define tom yum. Taste and adjust — the soup should hit all notes: sour, salty, spicy, and slightly sweet.
Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls, making sure each serving gets plenty of shrimp and mushrooms. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and a thin slice of red chile. Serve steaming hot alongside jasmine rice for a complete meal.
The Story Behind the Dish
Tom Yum has roots in the waterways of central Thailand, where river shrimp were abundant and aromatic herbs grew wild along the banks. The name itself tells you the cooking method: 'tom' means boiling, and 'yum' refers to the Thai tradition of mixing sour and spicy flavors.
The soup evolved from simple fisherman's broths into a refined dish during the Rattanakosin period (1782 onwards). The addition of galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves — Thailand's holy trinity of aromatics — transformed it into something extraordinary.
In 2021, Thailand began a campaign to have Tom Yum Goong recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, reflecting its deep significance to Thai identity and culinary tradition.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Tom Yum perfectly embodies the Thai philosophy of balancing flavors — sour lime, spicy chili, salty fish sauce, and fragrant herbs create a soup that is simultaneously comforting and electrifying. It has become the benchmark against which all other Thai soups are measured.
💡 Fun Fact
Research from Thailand's Kasetsart University found that the herbs in Tom Yum — particularly galangal — contain compounds that may have anti-tumor properties, leading some to call it the world's healthiest soup.
Central Thailand
14.60°N, 100.60°E
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