Thai · Main
Tom Yum
The rich 'nam khon' version of Thailand's iconic soup — prawn-shell stock, chilli jam and a touch of evaporated milk for the classic creamy blush
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- whole raw prawns — 700 g (heads and shells reserved)
- water — 1.2 L
- lemongrass, bruised, 5 cm batons — 40 g
- galangal, sliced — 25 g
- makrut lime leaves, torn — 6
- bird's-eye chillies, bruised — 4–6
- oyster or straw mushrooms, halved — 200 g
- cherry tomatoes, halved — 120 g
- nam prik pao (chilli jam) — 40 g
- fish sauce — 40 ml
- lime juice — 50 ml
- evaporated milk — 60 ml
- coriander leaves — 10 g
- vegetable oil — 15 ml
Method
- Peel and devein prawns. Fry heads and shells in the oil over high heat 3–4 min, crushing, until deep orange.
- Add water; simmer 15 min, then strain — this stock is the soul of the soup.
- Return stock to the pot with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chillies; simmer 5 min to infuse.
- Add mushrooms; 3 min. Add tomatoes and nam prik pao; 2 min.
- Add prawns; poach 2 min until just pink.
- Off the heat, season with fish sauce, then lime juice, then evaporated milk — never boil after the lime or it dulls.
- Taste: hot first, sour hard on its heels, salty, faintly sweet-creamy.