Spicy Tom Yum Soup (Printable Version)

A vibrant Thai broth with shrimp, lemongrass, lime, and chili delivering bold, balanced flavors.

# What You Need:

→ Broth Base

01 - 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
02 - 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces
04 - 3 slices fresh galangal or ginger
05 - 2 Thai bird's eye chilies, sliced

→ Main Ingredients

06 - 9 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
07 - 5 oz white mushrooms, sliced
08 - 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
09 - 1 small onion, sliced
10 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
11 - 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste
12 - 1 teaspoon sugar
13 - 1 teaspoon chili paste (nam prik pao), optional
14 - Salt to taste

→ Garnishes

15 - Fresh cilantro leaves
16 - Sliced green onions
17 - Extra lime wedges

# Directions:

01 - Bring chicken or vegetable stock to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and sliced chilies. Simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes to release the aromatics.
02 - Add sliced mushrooms, tomato wedges, and sliced onion to the simmering broth. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables soften.
03 - Add shrimp to the pot and cook just until they turn pink and opaque, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and optional chili paste. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce, lime juice, or salt as desired.
05 - Remove soup from heat. Optionally discard lemongrass stalks and galangal slices. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, and extra lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in 35 minutes but tastes like you spent hours perfecting it.
  • The shrimp cooks so quickly that you actually can't mess it up if you're paying attention.
  • One spoonful and your kitchen smells like a Thai restaurant, which is its own kind of magic.
02 -
  • Overcooked shrimp is the only real mistake here, so watch them like a hawk the moment they hit the broth.
  • Fish sauce smells terrible raw but transforms entirely when it hits hot broth; don't judge it before the alchemy happens.
  • The soup tastes better on its second day because the flavors have more time to mingle and settle.
03 -
  • If you find fish sauce genuinely unbearable, you can reduce the amount slightly or use soy sauce as a substitute, though the soup will taste different.
  • Buying frozen shrimp that's already peeled and deveined saves serious time and tastes just as good as fresh when thawed properly.
Go Back