Tom Yum Soup Thai Style (Printable)

Aromatic Thai soup with lemongrass, lime, and shrimp. Perfectly balanced sour, spicy, and savory flavors in every bowl.

# Components:

→ Broth Base

01 - 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
02 - 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
04 - 3 slices galangal, or ginger as substitute
05 - 2 Thai bird's eye chiles, sliced

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

06 - 7 ounces mushrooms, sliced
07 - 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
08 - 1 small onion, sliced
09 - 3 cloves garlic, smashed

→ Protein

10 - 10 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined, or tofu for vegetarian preparation

→ Seasonings and Finish

11 - 3 tablespoons fish sauce, or soy sauce for vegetarian option
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
13 - 1 teaspoon sugar
14 - 1 teaspoon chili paste, optional
15 - Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - Lime wedges for serving

# Method:

01 - In a medium pot, bring the stock to a gentle boil. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chiles, garlic, and onion. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to fully infuse into the broth.
02 - Add sliced mushrooms and tomato wedges to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms become tender.
03 - Add shrimp or tofu and simmer just until shrimp turns pink and is cooked through, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili paste if using. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt, sourness, and heat according to preference.
05 - Remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, yet tastes like it simmered for hours.
  • The balance of sour, spicy, salty, and savory hits all your taste receptors at once—pure harmony.
  • One pot means less cleanup, more time enjoying what matters.
  • Naturally gluten-free and adaptable to whatever you have on hand.
02 -
  • Fish sauce smells like low tide when you first open it, but once it hits the hot broth it becomes magic—don't be scared by its aroma, it's completely normal.
  • The aromatics (lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves) are meant to infuse and flavor the broth, and you can fish them out with a strainer before serving if you prefer a cleaner bowl, though many people leave them in for extra flavor.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze the broth (without the protein and fresh herbs) so you can have tom yum ready to go on nights when cooking feels impossible.
  • Toast your kaffir lime leaves briefly in a dry pan before adding them to the broth—it intensifies their flavor in a way that feels like a small magic trick.
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