Thai · Free recipe
Hot and Sour Tom Yum
Bruised lemongrass, galangal, and torn makrut lime leaves steep into a fragrant broth that turns hot, sour, and salty with chilies, lime, and fish sauce. Plump shrimp and oyster mushrooms cook in just minutes, keeping every spoonful clean and punchy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Simmer the reserved shrimp shells in the broth for 10 minutes, then strain and return the flavored broth to the pot.
-
Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, chilies, and shallots and simmer for 5 minutes, until the kitchen smells strongly of citrus and the aromatics have softened.
-
Stir in the mushrooms, tomato, and chili paste and cook for 2 minutes.
-
Add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they curl and turn pink throughout.
-
Turn off the heat and stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust so the soup is equally sour, salty, and hot.
-
Ladle into bowls and scatter with cilantro, reminding everyone that the lemongrass and galangal are for flavor, not for eating.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Add the lime juice only after the heat is off; boiling fresh lime makes it taste bitter and dull, while stirring it in at the end keeps the sourness vivid.
