StarterAI

Tom Yum Kung

Name: Tom Yum Kung
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 400 g Raw prawns, peeled; 1 l Chicken stock; 3 piece Lemongrass stalks; 20 g Fresh galangal; 6 leaves Kaffir lime leaves; 4 piece Fresh red chilli; 200 g Cremini mushrooms; 150 g Ripe tomatoes; 30 g Thai roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao); 40 ml Lime juice; 40 ml Fish sauce; 10 g Caster sugar; 10 g Fresh coriander

A fiery, sour Thai prawn soup built on a broth of lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime, sharpened with lime juice and roasted chilli paste until it hits sour, spicy, salty and sweet all at once.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

About this dish

Tom yum takes its name from two Thai words: tom, meaning to boil, and yum, a spicy-and-sour salad style — a fair description of a soup built more like a dressed dish than a simmered stew. Rock lobster or river prawns were the original kung, caught fresh from Thailand's rivers, though today's version travels well with any good prawn. What defines tom yum internationally is the deliberate clash of flavours: nothing is toned down to let one taste lead, and the balance between sour, hot, salty and a whisper of sweet is adjusted by taste at the very end, not fixed by a recipe.

Gluten-free
Lactose-free
Not vegetarian because of Raw prawns, peeled, Chicken stock, Thai roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao), Fish sauce

Ingredients

4servings

400gRaw prawns, peeled
1lChicken stock
3piecesLemongrass stalks
20gFresh galangal
6leavesKaffir lime leaves
4piecesFresh red chilli
200gCremini mushrooms
150gRipe tomatoes
30gThai roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao)
40mlLime juice
40mlFish sauce
10gCaster sugar
10gFresh coriander

Instructions

Bring the chicken stock to a boil with the bruised lemongrass, sliced galangal, torn kaffir lime leaves and smashed chillies, and simmer 8 minutes to infuse.
8 min
Tip: Bruise the lemongrass and galangal with the back of a knife before adding them — cracking the fibres open is what actually releases their aroma into the broth, not just tossing them in whole.
Add the mushrooms, tomatoes and roasted chilli paste, and simmer 5 minutes.
5 min
Tip: The chilli paste should mostly dissolve into the broth rather than sit as visible flecks — stir it in well before the next ingredients go in.
Add the prawns and cook just until they turn pink and curl, about 3–4 minutes.
4 min
Tip: Pull the pot off the heat the moment the prawns curl — a few seconds too long and they turn rubbery in a soup this thin and hot.
Off the heat, stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, taste and adjust, then scatter with coriander before serving.
3 min
Tip: Lime juice added off the heat keeps its brightness — boiled for even a minute, it turns bitter and the soup loses the sharp sourness that makes tom yum what it is.