Tom Yum Soup – Authentic Thai Food Recipe

Who doesn’t know Tom Yum soup? Right, everybody’s favorite Thai soup is finally here! Made with shrimp, clear broth, and aromatics that are spicy, tangy, and utterly delicious. Enjoy an easy homemade recipe from the starch that is suitable with your taste!

If you’re looking to recreate an authentic Tom Yum Soup with classic flavors easily at home, this recipe is perfect for you! This Tom Yum also called as Thai hot and sour soup is simple to make, full of flavor, and incredibly comforting. Plus, it’s bold, perky, and has a kick of spicy heat.

Tom Yum Soup is best served hot and fresh, and it pairs wonderfully with steamed jasmine rice or eaten

Origin of Tom Yum

Tom Yum soup (or Tom Yum Goong) is originally from Central Thailand. The name breaks down into “Tom” (meaning “to boil”), “Yum” (meaning “spicy and sour”), and “Goong” (meaning “prawns”).

This soup is a flavor bomb – it’s sweet, sour, and spicy all at once. Typically, it’s made with ingredients like makrut lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, galangal, crushed peppers, lemongrass, and shrimp. it’s a mix of complex and comforting flavors.

Adding coconut milk gives it a rich, silky texture, and extra-firm tofu cubes add some body. You can tweak the spice, salt, and acidity by adjusting the Thai chilies, soy sauce, and lime juice to fit your taste.

In short, Tom Yum soup is a classic Thai dish that’s a perfect mix of spicy, sour, and sweet flavors, bringing together the best of Thailand in one bowl.

Today, Tom Yum soup is a quintessential part of Thai cuisine, enjoyed both in Thailand and globally. Its popularity continues to grow as more people discover its bold and vibrant flavors.

Types of Tom Yum

1. Clear Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Sai): This is the traditional version with a clear, spicy, and sour broth.
2. Creamy Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon): This is made from the clear version but with added evaporated milk and a generous dose of Thai chili paste, giving it a rich, creamy texture.

Typically, Tom Yum is made with shrimp (Tom Yum Goong) or chicken (Tom Yum Gai), both equally delicious. While shrimp is the classic choice, the chicken version is just as tasty.

This recipe is for a Tom Yum Goong with a clear broth and lots of fresh flavors.

Ingredients of Tom Yum Soup

• Prawn/Shrimp peeled, head on; We’re talking heads and all. You need shrimp with heads to make the “shrimp oil” for the soup. It will provide a delicate flavor and serve as a protein source and delightful texture to the soup.
• Oyster Mushroom sliced; You can use any type of mushrooms you like. They will add an earthy taste to the soup and provide a satisfying texture which will enhance the overall flavor profile. Don’t use button mushrooms, they’re not nearly as good in soups
• Shrimp Stock; You can also make your shrimp stock from shrimp head.
• Lemongrass bash; Fresh stalks of lemongrass offer a bold refreshing taste.
• Galangal sliced; This herb can be found in Asian markets, fresh or frozen. It looks like ginger but has a completely different flavor. Galangal is always used in Thailand. It is added to seafood recipes specifically to neutralize the strong fishy aroma.
• Bird’s Eye Chili; These small red chiles often called “bird chiles” are hot and flavorful. If you can’t find fresh Thai Bird Chiles, you can use Thai chili instead.
• Garlic; Adding chopped garlic will enhance the overall flavor of the soup and give it that delicious subtle garlic flavor. 
• Kaffir Lime Leaves; Also known as Makrut lime leaves. This Asian herb creates a distinct flavor that cannot be replaced by anything else.

Seasoning and Garnish

• Fish Sauce; The mother sauce of Thai cuisine! At first, I couldn’t really stand the smell lol, but after I add to the dish now I know why!
• Lime Juice; one of the characteristics of Tom Yum is sour fresh and spicy. So you need this lime juice. Freshly squeezed. This is highly important! Adding lime juice will add a tangy and citrusy note to the soup and provide a refreshing and bright flavor which will balance out all the other ingredients.
• Tomato;  I use tomato for garnish as well, as the soup. Make sure to add tomato in the last part so it won’t crush the shape. Cherry tomatoes are an optional, but fun add-in. They also contribute some additional redness to the broth.
• Sugar; We need to add sugar to this recipe to balance out the flavors of the soup
• Cilantro garnish; for garnish. Sub-green onions if you don’t like cilantro.

How to Make Tom Yum Soup

First thing first, make sure you have cleaned the shrimp with head-on. After that, bring the shrimp stock to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat.

Once the stock is boiling, add the lemongrass, galangal, bird’s eye chilies, and garlic. Then, Tear the kaffir lime leaves with your hands and add them to the pot. Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Next, add the oyster mushrooms to the pot. Simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Then, add the shrimp and tomato wedges to the pot.

Next, Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Don’t forget to Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then turn off the heat.

Finally, garnish the soup with fresh cilantro. Serve hot with warm rice on the side. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s so easy, isn’t it?

Enjoy your delicious homemade Tom Yum soup! You can also serve this tom yum soup with Steamed Jasmine Rice, Sticky Rice, Rice Noodles, Thai Spring Rolls, and Steamed Vegetables or it can be Fresh Herbs and Vegetables.

Meanwhile, for the drink, you can try The creamy and sweet flavor of Thai iced tea is perfect for balancing the heat of Tom Yum soup. Refreshing and slightly sweet, coconut water is a natural pairing with spicy Thai dishes.

Try this Recipe!

Don’t forget to try this recipe, let me know if this recipe works and be your favorite menu to cook. You can save this recipe with sign-up for my email list! Please leave a star rating and a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback.

Also, you can follow our Pinterest, and Instagram, and Youtube channel for the up-to-date menu!

See you in the other recipe, Thank you for your support friends 🥰

Cannot Get Enough with Thai Food? Try These!