Tom Yum (with Shrimp)
Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, chile and shrimp.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Add the lime juice off the heat - boiling lime turns the soup bitter and dulls the perfume. The hot-sour balance is what makes tom yum tom yum, so give yourself a taste-and-adjust moment at the end.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1 lblarge shrimp (shell-on if possible)peeled, shells reserved if using
- 2lemongrass stalktrimmed, smashed with side of knife, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 slicesgalangal (or ginger)1/4-inch coins
- 5kaffir lime leavestorn
- 4thai bird chilessmashed
- 2 tbspnam prik pao (Thai chile paste)
- 2 mediumshallotsmashed
- 2roma tomatocut into wedges
- 6 ozoyster or straw mushroomshalved if large
- 3 tbspfish sauce
- 3 tbspfresh lime juice
- ¼ cupfresh cilantrochopped
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 220calories
- 22gprotein
- 12gcarbs
- 8gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Peel shrimp, reserving shells if available.
- Smash and cut lemongrass into 2-inch pieces; slice galangal into coins.
- Tear kaffir lime leaves. Smash chiles and shallots. Wedge tomatoes; halve mushrooms.
- Chop cilantro. Juice limes.
Build aromatic broth
Bring 6 cups water to a simmer in the saucepan. Add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, smashed chiles, and shrimp shells (if using). Simmer 10 min - broth should smell intensely citrus-floral.
10 min · hands offStrain (optional)
If using shrimp shells, strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve back into pot; discard shells. Keep the lemongrass/galangal/lime leaves in - they're visual signal that this is tom yum.
1 min · hands onChile paste in
Stir in nam prik pao until dissolved. Broth turns deep orange-red. Add tomato wedges and mushrooms; simmer 3 min.
3 min · hands onCook shrimp
Add shrimp; cook 2 min until just pink and opaque.
2 min · hands onFinish off heat
Off heat, stir in fish sauce and lime juice - never add lime juice over heat or it turns bitter. Taste - tom yum should hit you sharp and salty and sour and hot at once. Adjust if any axis is missing. Ladle into bowls; top with cilantro.
1 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Slice thin; simmer 4-5 min in step 4 until cooked through. Adds about 2 minutes.
Cube tofu; add with mushrooms.
Cook rice separately; ladle soup over. Adds about 25 minutes.
Cube the tofu; also add vegetable broth to round out the body lost with the shrimp shells. Or use 1 tbsp soy sauce plus 1 tsp miso. Check label - must be made without shrimp paste.
What keeps
Broth is even better day 2. Add shrimp and mushrooms fresh - pre-cooked shrimp goes rubbery on reheat.
Strain the lemongrass/galangal/lime leaves before storing so the flavor doesn't go too bitter.
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