Tom Yum Soup (Printable)

A vibrant Thai soup featuring lemongrass, lime, and chiles with perfectly balanced sour, spicy, and savory flavors.

# 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 & Aromatics

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

→ Protein

10 - 10 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined or tofu

→ Seasonings & Finish

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

# How To Make It:

01 - In a medium pot, bring stock to a gentle boil. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chiles, garlic, and onion. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to fully infuse into the broth.
02 - Add mushrooms and tomatoes to the simmering broth. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms become tender.
03 - Add shrimp or tofu and simmer 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 using. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt, sourness, and heat intensity according to preference.
05 - Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The balance of sour and spicy hits every craving at once, like a party in your bowl
  • It comes together faster than delivery and tastes infinitely better
  • The aromatics fill your kitchen with the most incredible fragrance
02 -
  • Don't throw away those aromatics after simmering, they're doing all the heavy lifting
  • The soup tastes better the next day, if you can manage to save any
  • Fish sauce smells intense raw but transforms into something magical in the broth
03 -
  • Smash your lemongrass against a cutting board, it's safer and more effective than a knife
  • Make a double batch and freeze the extra without the protein, then reheat and add fresh shrimp or tofu
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