Thai-Style Spicy Prawn Soup (Tom Yum Goong)

Tom yum goong is a vibrant and flavorful Thai soup that awakens the senses with its bold combination of fragrant ingredients. With hints of ginger, lemongrass, lime, and spicy Thai chiles, this soup delivers a tantalizing blend of spicy, sour, and slightly sweet flavors. The light and clear broth make it an excellent choice as a starter, stimulating the appetite and preparing the palate for the main course.

While the key ingredients like chiles, ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaves can often be found in well-stocked supermarkets and natural foods stores, seeking out an Asian grocer may offer a wider selection and more affordable prices for these authentic ingredients.

Preparing the soup involves simmering the aromatic ingredients in a flavorful Shellfish Stock and tomato puree, creating a fragrant and rich base. The strained stock is then combined with shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and succulent prawns, allowing them to cook until the shrimp is opaque and the mushrooms are tender. The final touch is the addition of fish sauce and palm sugar, infusing the soup with a harmonious balance of savory and sweet notes.

To serve, ladle the steaming hot soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, Thai basil leaves, and a squeeze of lime juice for a burst of freshness. Tom yum goong is a delightful and invigorating soup that brings the bold flavors of Thai cuisine to your table. Enjoy it as a standalone dish or as part of a Thai-inspired feast.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Thai chiles, smashed
• 1 (1-inch) knob ginger, peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick
• 1 (6-inch) lemongrass stalk, tough outer layers removed, sliced ⅛ inch thick
• 3 makrut lime leaves
• 6 cups Shellfish Stock
• ½ cup tomato puree
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced paper thin
• 4 ounces mushrooms, preferably straw mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick or smaller
• 2 roma tomatoes, quartered
• 1 pound shelled prawns
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• Thai basil leaves, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for serving

SERVES  4

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drop the chiles, ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaves into a soup pot and then cover them with the Shellfish Stock and tomato puree. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the broth is fragrant.
2. Strain the stock into a pitcher or jar through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Wipe out the soup pot with a kitchen towel to remove any stray debris.
3. Set the pot over medium-high heat and then pour the strained stock back into the pot. Toss in the shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and prawns and allow them to cook in the hot broth until the shrimp turns opaque and the mushrooms tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Stir in the fish sauce and sugar, allowing it to cook until the sugar dissolves fully in the heat of the broth.
5. Ladle the soup into soup bowls, and garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and lime wedges.