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flavorful spicy tom yum

Spicy Thai Tom Yum Soup

This authentic Thai Tom Yum soup delivers the perfect balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet flavors that will transport you straight to Thailand. Packed with aromatic herbs, plump shrimp, and mushrooms in a fragrant broth, this restaurant-quality soup is surprisingly easy to make at home and guaranteed to clear your sinuses while warming your soul.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Thai
Calories: 185
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 liters water
  • 4 stalks lemongrass bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 inch galangal sliced
  • 10 kaffir lime leaves torn
  • 10 Thai chilies bruised
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed
  • 500 g shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 300 g oyster mushrooms sliced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes cut into wedges
  • 2 medium white onions sliced
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 8-12 tbsp fish sauce
  • 8-12 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Handful fresh cilantro chopped
  • 3 tbsp Thai roasted chili sauce nam prik pao
  • 10 tbsp evaporated milk

Equipment

  • Chef's Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Large Saucepan

Method
 

  1. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a large pot.
  2. Add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilies, and crushed garlic to the boiling water.
  3. Simmer the aromatic broth for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors.
  4. Add shrimp, oyster mushrooms, tomato wedges, and sliced onions to the pot.
  5. Continue simmering until the shrimp turns pink and is fully cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
  6. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Thai roasted chili sauce.
  7. Add evaporated milk and stir gently to combine.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce for saltiness or lime juice for sourness.
  9. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.

Notes

Start with 8 tablespoons each of fish sauce and lime juice, then adjust to taste - the soup should be equally salty and sour
Bruise the lemongrass and chilies with the back of a knife to release more flavor
For a milder version, reduce the number of Thai chilies or remove seeds before adding
Galangal can be substituted with fresh ginger if unavailable, though the flavor will be slightly different
The aromatic herbs (lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves) are typically left in the soup but not eaten
For tom yum nam khon (creamy version), increase evaporated milk; for tom yum nam sai (clear version), omit the milk entirely
Fresh lime juice is essential - bottled lime juice will not provide the same bright, authentic flavor