Could you imagine a soup that’ll blow your mind? Well here is Tom Yum the soup which will change all your perspectives about soup. I believe this is the best soup in the world and the lucky ones who’ve had this won’t hesitate to agree with me. Simply take one sip of this yummy magical soup and you’ll know what I am saying. It’s no news to us that how healthy a bowl of soup is, but no one who has had this would call it just healthy. The credit goes to the variety of flavoursome ingredients which plays out its astounding tastes to make this the favourite soup anybody has ever had. The most loved soup all over the world is simply unstoppable in spreading its love and glory every day all around the globe.
Tom Yum Flavours
The frisky citrusy and minty flavour of lemongrass and Kaffir lime coupled with the piney flavour of galangal incorporates the biting sharpness and tangy taste to the soup. These three are the basic pillars on which the soup stands. None of the variety of Tom Yum can afford to exclude or replace these magical ingredients which apart from its taste infuse a breath-taking aroma in the soup. Galangal is a rhizome and looks like ginger but is completely different. It has a cool flavour as opposed to the hot flavours of ginger.
Origin of Tom Yum
Any restaurant or any household in Thailand is well acquainted with “Tom Yum”.Tom yum soup shows off its remorseless sourness and daring spiciness with the charming smell of roasted chilli jam.People in the north eat it with chicken (Tom Yam Gai) whereas people in the south and coast eat this with shrimp (Tom yum gung). It is also made with prawns which are called “Tom Yam Goong”. The soft and perfectly creamy shrimp magically blend with uncompromising spiciness flavours and make it a sumptuous and delightful soup. We prefer not using boneless chicken for this yummy yum because the bones add structure to this dish. It is needless to say that you can use chicken/shrimp/prawn as per your availability because Tom Yum tastes equally special and delicious with each one of them.
Been there for generations, this dish is a mark of ancestral wisdom and culture for the Thai culinary culture. It’s also a matter of nostalgia and reminds people of powerful emotions of mother’s and grandma’s kitchen every time they have it.Though Thai cuisine has garnered a lot of popularity there are only a handful group of people who make it at home. So you can start making your very first Thai dish and flaunt it before your friends. Tom Yam is super easy and quick to make and is the best start for anyone who is beginning to cook Thai cuisine at home for their friend and family. Not only will your family love you more but surely your friend will be proud of you for including all of the Thai essences in your very first try. I will be making Tom yum Gung(shrimps). So let’s get started.
Tom yum Gung(shrimps) Recipe
Ingredients:
- Around 4 cups/2L water
- 4-5 Lemongrass stalks
- Galangal almost 1 inch
- 5-10 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 12 Thai Chilies
- 1/2kg Shrimp or 1/2lb of Chicken
- Around 10-12tbsp. lime juice
- Around 10-12tsp. Fish Sauce
- 2-3 tbsp. Sugar
- Around 4-5 Oyster Mushrooms
- 2-3 Tbsp. roasted chilli sauce
Let’s get started with the process:
- Let’s quickly boil up our water or we can also use shrimp stock or chicken stock, whichever you are using.
- Next, we take the lemongrass and cut out the dry part from the top and bottom. Then we peel out the external dry cover, and then what we are left with is the aromatic lemongrass where all flavours are concentrated. So with the back of our knife or anything, we crush or beat the lemongrass. After that, we are going to cut it diagonally and put it into the water.
- Now we take Galangal and make thin round slices of it from the base part of the rhizome.
- Now we take our Kaffir lime leaves and simply tear them into two halves so that its flavours are infused into the soup
- After this, we take the Thai chillies and instead of chopping them we’ll simply crush them and cut them into halves.
- Now simply let it simmer and bring it to boil
- Now we’ll take our shrimp and clean it up.
- Next, we’ll check our soup and if it’s boiling, I suggest take a spoon and take out the herbs as these are not meant for eating, they are only for flavour purpose.
- Now we’ll throw in our Oyster mushroom and bring it to boil.
- Next, we throw in our Shrimps and again wait for the soup to start boiling.
- Within 30 seconds or so once it starts boiling, turn off the gas.
Now for the seasoning,
- Put your lime juice
- Then add the fish sauce
- Add your chilli paste and sugar
- Stir it a little bit and you’re done.
Now, be happy ‘coz you’ve made a Thai cuisine all by yourself. Pat your back and pour your soup into a bowl. Then enjoy it and celebrate happiness in Thai style with your friends and family.
Happy cooking 🙂