Tom Yum Goong Recipe (Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp)

Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp) is my favorite Thai soup. You can find Tom Yum Goong in any Thai restaurant around the world. And today I’d like to show you how you can easily make Tom Yum Goong in your own kitchen.

Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Tom Yum Goong Ingredients:
6 kaffir lime leaves, or replaced with the dried ones
1 lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 slices galangal
3 bird’s eye chili peppers, or replaced 1 finger long hot red pepper
4 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes)
1 pound shrimp with heads
5 cups water
1 cup fresh mushrooms, halved
3 tablespoons Thai chili paste in soybean oil (nam prik pao)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Cilantro for garnish

Tom Yum Goong Instructions

To prepare for the ingredients:

1. Rehydrate the dried kaffir lime leaves in hot water for 5 minutes. (I couldn’t find the fresh ones, so I ordered the dried ones on Amazon.) Drain and tear the leaves in halves.
2. Slice the lemongrass into 1-inch pieces. (You can find lemongrass in most Asian supermarkets or online. You can use the fresh or frozen one.)
3. Peel and slice the galangal. (Galangal can also be found in most Asian supermarkets or online. You can use the fresh or frozen one.)
4. Slice the red chili peppers (Traditionally, Thai people use bird’s eye chili, but I couldn’t find it, so I replaced it this instead.)
5. Sliced the mushrooms in halves. (Traditionally, Thai people use straw mushrooms for the recipe, but these are also very hard to find in the US.)
6. Roll the limes on the table. Cut them in halves. Squeeze out the juice. Remove the seeds.
7. Remove and reserve the shrimp heads. Devein and peel the shrimp. Set aside.

To cook the Tom Yum Goong:

1. In a pot over high heat, pour in the water, and return the shrimp heads. Bring it to a boil. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Scoop out any forms on top. Remove the heads. Filter the shrimp stock with a cheesecloth and strainer.
2. In the stock over high heat, bring it to a boil. Transfer in the kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, red chili peppers, mushrooms, and let it cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Season the soup with Thai Chili paste in soybean oil (It’s also available in most Asian supermarkets or online), fish sauce, and sugar. Bring it to a boil.
4. Return the shrimp and cook until pink.
5. Turn off the heat, pour in the lime juice, and garnish with cilantro.