Tom Yum Kung (Thai sour and spicy shrimp soup)

Who has ever come to Thailand can't ignore the meaning of 'Tom Yum Kung'.

'Tom Yum Kung' is simply one the most, if not the most, famous Thai soups. Its delicious spicy taste and its unique fragrance is due to the presence of galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. All of this contributes to the fame of this soup among foreigners visiting Thailand.

Now, I hope you guys are ready to learn because I'm going to teach you how to cook Tom Yum Kung easily and fast.

Here we go !

Ingredients

-  1 pack of Tom Yum  Paste (it can be easily bought on the internet)

-  12 medium shrimps (peeled, cleaned)

-   Mushrooms (preferably straw mushrooms)

-  1 bunch of lemongrass, 3 kaffir lime leaves, 4 chopped pieces of galangal (Don't add them into your preparation in case you already have the Tom Yum Kung powder)

-  1 tsp (teaspoon) of salt

-  2 tbsp (tablespoon) of fish sauce

-  6 chopped peppers (red or green)

-   1 tbsp of lemon juice (if you really like sour taste)

-  4 cups of water

-     ½ cup of parsley (roughly chopped)

-  1 small cup/ glass of coconut water

 

How to cook 'Tom Yum Kung', step by step

-  Peel the shrimps but keep their tails (for a more attractive presentation).

-   Remove the intestine (the one that looks like a black 'vein').

-  Wash the mushrooms and chop them into 4 pieces (it obviously depends on the kind of mushrooms you have).

-  Boil water in a saucepan. Then, add the lemongrass, the kaffir lime leaves and the galangal chopped pieces (in case you have them).

-  Put the Tom Yum Paste  in the water. Stir well.

-  Now put the shrimps into the hot water. Wait for them to turn into a pinker colour.

-  Add then the rest of the ingredients as follows :  coconut water, mushrooms, salt, fish sauce, lemon juice, pepper, parsley

-  Stop cooking the soup when you're satisfied with its taste.

Tips

-   Add more lemon and peppers if you really like sour and spicy taste.

-    If you don't like the taste of coconut water, you don't have to put it. But, in this case, the name of your soup will change into 'Tom Yum Kung Num Sai' (light soup).

-  To simply make the soup more colorful, add some Thai chili paste in it.