This delicious soup is the perfect addition for your Thai Banquet – it is spicy, fresh and tangy, how tangy depends on how you like it – how much lime juice you use. How spicy depends on how spicy you like it and how much chilli you add…
We often enjoy this soup for a light meal on a hot summers’ night – it is absolutely perfect, light, fresh and flavoursome.
Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Prawn & Lemongrass Soup)

Tom Yam Goong should be spicy, fresh and tangy - how tangy depends on how you like it - how much lime juice you use...
Ingredients
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 20 g shallots (peeled & sliced)
- 20 g galangal (chopped)
- 20 g lemongrass (bashed)
- 20 g small hot chilies (whole)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- Fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- 6 green prawns – tiger if you can get them
- 20 g straw mushrooms (cut into halves)
- 1 spring onion – green part only, finely shredded on the angle
- 6 snow peas – cut into julienne
To garnish
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves cut into fine chifonade,
- Fresh coriander leaves
Directions
- Peel & devein the prawns. Set aside
- Gently sautee the galangal, shallots, lemongrass & chillies to release their flavours.
- Cover with chicken stock and add the kaffir lime leaves. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
- Season with the fish sauce and palm sugar and adjust the flavour with the lime juice.
- Strain the broth, discard the solids and return the broth to a clean saucepan.
- Bring the broth to a simmer, add the prawns and straw mushrooms and simmer gently for two minutes.
- Divide the snow peas and spring onion between two serving bowls, top with the the prawns and straw mushrooms and pour over the broth.
- Divide evenly between two serving bowls
- Sprinkle the kaffir chiffonade and coriander leaves to garnish.
- Serve hot.
Notes:
- You may substitute diced chicken for the prawns. The dish is then called Tom Yam Gai. I believe that fresh fish would also work wonderfully .
- Adapted from’Thai Country Cooking from Laguna Beach Resort’ (2002) p57.
- I like to add some fresh seasonal vegetables when I can.
Until next time…
Happy Cooking & Bon appétit!
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