Tom Yum Goong
Thailand's iconic hot-and-sour prawn soup — fragrant with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime, sharpened with lime and chilli and ready in under half an hour.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4 bowls
- Level
- Easy
By Maya Chen
Method
- 01
Peel the prawns, reserving the shells and heads. Devein the prawns and set aside.
- 02
Make a quick stock: simmer the reserved shells and heads in the water for 10 minutes, then strain and discard the solids for a deeper, sweeter base.
- 03
Return the stock to the pan and add the bruised lemongrass, galangal and torn kaffir lime leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.
- 04
Add the mushrooms and crushed chillies and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
- 05
Stir in the roasted chilli paste (if using) and palm sugar until dissolved.
- 06
Add the prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes, just until they curl and turn pink — do not overcook them.
- 07
Take the pan off the heat before adding the fish sauce and lime juice; adding lime off the boil keeps it bright. Taste and adjust the hot-sour-salty balance, then garnish with coriander and serve.
Tom yum goong is the hot-and-sour soup that defines Thai cooking for many people: clear, intensely aromatic, and sharp with lime and chilli. It comes together in well under half an hour, and almost all of its flavour comes from three fragrant aromatics — lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime — steeped in a quick prawn stock.
Build the aromatic base
The soul of tom yum is the infusion. Bruise the lemongrass to release its oils, slice the galangal, and tear the kaffir lime leaves so their fragrance escapes, then let all three steep in the simmering stock before anything else goes in. These are left in large pieces to perfume the broth, not to be eaten. Making a fast stock from the prawn shells first is a small step that adds real sweetness and depth.
Season last, and off the heat
The hot-sour-salty balance is added at the very end and away from the boil. Fish sauce brings the salt, lime juice the sourness, and the chillies the heat — and the lime in particular must go in off the heat so it stays bright rather than turning bitter. Taste and adjust until the soup makes you sit up: punchy, sour and fragrant, with the prawns just cooked through and still tender.
