Authentic Thai Tom Yum Soup Recipe

This Tom Yum Soup recipe is as authentic as it gets! The recipe came straight from Thailand and is the perfect balance of hot and sour flavors.

Before I left for my first trip to Thailand, I made a list of quintessential food items that I had to try while there. Among them was Tom Yum Soup.

Tom Yum Soup

I wish I could say that I had my first taste of Tom Yum Soup at a local Thai restaurant, or anywhere more authentic than Trader Joe's — but that's exactly where I tried it from (frozen no less!), and ultimately fell in love with the soup's hot and sour flavors.

I didn't have to wait long to get my first bowl of authentic Tom Yum Soup when I arrived in Thailand because I booked a cooking lesson at Silom Thai Cooking School in Bangkok on my very first day. This decision turned out to be one of the best experiences I had in Asia! Not only did I learn how to make authentic Tom Yum Soup like a pro, but I also got to take the recipe home to prepare again and again!

I ate a lot of food while in Thailand, including Pad Thai, Yellow Curry, Green Curry and Mango with Sticky Rice, and I think this version of Tom Yum Soup was my favorite. It's a relatively easy dish to make, and there's a substitute for items you can't find at your grocery store or local market. For instance, you can substitute lime zest for Kaffir lime leaves and soy sauce for fish sauce.

Tom Yum Soup Recipe

Ingredients for Tom Yum Soup:

• ½ cup medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 mushroom, quartered
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into pieces
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
• 10 slices Galangal or ginger
• ½ tablespoon fish sauce
• ¼ tablespoon lime juice
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• ½ tomato, quartered
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
• ½ tablespoon Thai chili paste
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 2-3 red Thai chili sliced (if you like it hot!)

How to Make Tom Yum Soup:

1. Put lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, mushrooms, chilies and tomato into the water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender.

2. Add shrimp and cook until pink.

3. Add coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and Thai chilies paste.

4. Serve hot and garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions.

5 from 3 votes

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Authentic Tom Yum Soup Recipe

This Tom Yum Soup recipe is legit—straight from Bangkok, Thailand, courtesy of Silom Thai Cooking School.

Servings: 2

Author: Stefanie Fauquet

Ingredients

• ½ cup medium-sized shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 mushroom quartered
• 1 stalk lemongrass cut into pieces
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves torn in half
• 10 slices Galangal or ginger
• ½ tablespoon fish sauce
• ¼ tablespoon lime juice
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• ½ tomato quartered
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
• 1 tablespoon green onions chopped
• ½ tablespoon Thai chili paste
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 2-3 red Thai chili sliced (if you like it hot!)

Instructions

1. Put lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, mushrooms, chilies and tomato into the water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender.
2. Add shrimp and cook until pink.
3. Add coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and Thai chilies paste.
4. Serve hot and garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions.

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