Vibrant Thai Tom Yum Soup (Printable)

Vibrant Thai soup with lemongrass, lime, chiles, and shrimp. Bold sour and spicy flavors in perfect harmony.

# What You'll Need:

→ Broth Base

01 - 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
02 - 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
04 - 3 slices galangal or ginger
05 - 2 Thai bird's eye chiles, sliced

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

06 - 7 ounces mushrooms, sliced
07 - 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
08 - 1 small onion, sliced
09 - 3 cloves garlic, smashed

→ Protein

10 - 10 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined or tofu

→ Seasonings and Finish

11 - 3 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
13 - 1 teaspoon sugar
14 - 1 teaspoon chili paste, optional
15 - Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - Lime wedges for serving

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring stock to a gentle boil in a medium pot. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chiles, garlic, and onion. Simmer for 10 minutes to develop aromatic flavors.
02 - Add mushrooms and tomatoes to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms become tender.
03 - Add shrimp or tofu and simmer just until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili paste if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt, sourness, and spice level as needed.
05 - Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like a restaurant bowl but comes together in under 40 minutes, no fancy techniques required.
  • The balance of sour, spicy, salty, and savory hits that perfect note where you forget everything else exists.
  • It's naturally flexible, adjusting to whatever proteins or vegetables you have without losing its soul.
02 -
  • Don't skip the 10-minute infusion step; rushing it means missing the moment when the broth transforms from ordinary to aromatic.
  • Fish sauce is non-negotiable for authentic flavor, but if you absolutely cannot use it, soy sauce gets you 80 percent of the way there.
03 -
  • Smash your aromatics with the side of your knife before adding them to release maximum flavor; whole aromatics are polite but smashed ones are revelatory.
  • Taste constantly once you've added the seasonings because the balance point shifts as the broth concentrates and concentrates.
Return