Tom Yum Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง)
Thailand's legendary hot-and-sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, and chillies — sharp, bracing, and instantly warming.
Cuisine: Thai (Thailand) · Style: Soup · Protein: Prawn · Total time: · Difficulty: easy · Servings: 4 · Spice: 4/5
Ingredients
- 400g large prawns, shells reserved
- 4 cups stock or water
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut
- 4 slices galangal
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 4 Thai bird's eye chillies, crushed
- 200g mushrooms (straw or button)
- 4 shallots, halved
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp nam prik pao (chilli paste)
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
Steps
- Simmer prawn shells in stock for 10 minutes for a deeper broth. Strain.
- Return broth to the pot. Add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, and shallots.
- Simmer 5 minutes to infuse.
- Add mushrooms and prawns. Cook 2-3 minutes until prawns turn pink.
- Turn off heat. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, and nam prik pao.
- Taste and balance — it should be sour first, then salty, then spicy.
- Finish with coriander and serve immediately.