Name: Tom Yum Goong
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 500 g large prawns (shell-on, deveined; shells reserved); 1000 ml water or light stock; 3 stalks lemongrass (bruised and cut into 5cm lengths); 5 slices galangal (not ginger — galangal is sharper and more citrusy); 6 leaves kaffir lime leaves (torn, ribs removed); 200 g straw mushrooms (halved); 8 pcs Thai chillies (bruised; fewer for a milder soup); 3 tbsp fish sauce; 4 tbsp lime juice; 3 tbsp nam prik pao (Thai chilli jam) (optional, for depth and colour); cilantro leaves (for garnish, a handful)

Method

Build the aromatic broth

Put the water, prawn shells, lemongrass, galangal and half the kaffir lime leaves in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes to draw out the aroma.

Reserve the prawn shells when you peel them — they make the broth taste far more of the sea.

10 min

Strain the broth

Strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the shells and spent aromatics, and return it to a simmer.

Add mushrooms and chilli

Add the straw mushrooms, bruised chillies and remaining kaffir lime leaves, and simmer for three minutes until the mushrooms soften.

3 min

Cook the prawns

Add the prawns and the chilli jam if using, and simmer for two to three minutes until the prawns turn pink and opaque.

Pull the prawns the moment they curl into a loose C shape — a tight curl means they're overcooked.

3 min

Season off the heat

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the fish sauce and lime juice, tasting and adjusting for a balance of sour, salty and hot.

Always season sour and fish sauce off the heat — boiling lime juice turns the soup bitter and dulls the fish sauce.

Serve

Ladle into bowls, scatter over cilantro leaves, and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Tom Yum Goong

Ingredients

Method

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