Bowl of Hot Sour Shrimp Soup #1
(click to enlarge)

Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup #1


Thailand   -   Tom Yum Kung
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 soup
**
30 min
Most		 A very popular soup, aromatic tasty and light. It can also be made with chicken (tom yum kai). The Chili Tamarind Paste is essential for its unique flavor. For a differently made recipe, see Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup #2.

1
5
3
10
4
2
2
1
5
1/4
----
lrg


oz
c
T
T
T
oz
c
----
Lemon Grass stalk (1)
Kaffir Lime leaf (2)
Thai Chili
Shrimp
Stock (chicken)
Chili Tamarind Paste (3)  
Fish Sauce (4)
Palm Sugar (optional)
Straw Mushroom (5)
Lime Juice
--Garnish
Cilantro leaves
Prep
  1. Select a large LEMON GRASS stalk, peel off the tough outer leaves, cut off the hard root section and the tips leaving about 8 inches. Pound it well with your kitchen mallet and cut into 3 lengths.
  2. Give the LIME LEAVES a few whacks with the kitchen mallet to bruise them.
  3. Stem CHILIS and crush them lightly with the kitchen mallet.
  4. Shell SHRIMP. Cut in half if very large.
  5. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
Run
  1. Bring Stock up to a simmer, add Lemon Grass and Lime Leaves and simmer 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in Chili Tamarind Paste, Fish Sauce and Palm Sugar (if used). Simmer another 5 minutes.
  3. When ready to serve, Stir in Shrimp, Straw Mushrooms and Lime Juice. Simmer just until shrimp are cooked through (about 1 minute), turn off the heat and add the Crushed Chilis. Serve garnished with Cilantro leaves.
NOTES:

  1. Lemon Grass:

      These tough grass stems are now widely available in North America in markets that serve an East or Southeast Asian community. I've even seen them in some Korean markets. For details see our Lemon Grass page.

  2. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 to a stem. See our Kaffir Lime page for details. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the limes before you squeeze them for lime juice.

  3. Chili Tamarind Paste:

      This paste is essential for this popular soup. It is not difficult to make - see our recipe Chili Tamarind Paste.

  4. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  5. Straw Mushrooms:

      Weight given is drained. These come in 15 ounce cans yielding 7 ounces drained. "Peeled" and "unpeeled" are available - peeled is the usual form for this soup.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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