A Flavorful Thai Classic You Can Make at Home...
Tom Yum, or Tom Yam, is a quintessential classic Thai soup loved for its bold, vibrant flavors. Translating to “hot and sour,” this dish strikes the perfect balance between heat, tanginess, and aromatic spices, making it a favorite worldwide. After recently enjoying two delightful versions of Tom Yum at Red Sake off Rea Road in Charlotte, NC, we felt inspired to recreate this comforting dish at home.
At Red Sake, you can choose Tom Yum either with or without coconut milk. Both versions offer a unique spin—one is lighter and more brothy, while the coconut milk version is creamy and indulgent. Inspired by this delicious experience, we dove into making it ourselves.
Traditional Ingredients and Where to Find Them
To get started, we took a trip to Super G, one of our local international markets to gather traditional Thai ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, Thai red peppers, fish sauce, and king oyster mushrooms. If you can’t find king oyster mushrooms, don’t worry—baby bella mushrooms work beautifully and absorb all those wonderful flavors.
Making Tom Yum at Home
One of the best things about Tom Yum is its versatility. Whether you prefer a lighter soup without coconut milk or a creamier, richer version, the core flavors remain: a delightful mix of spicy, sour, and savory. A word of caution—Thai red peppers pack serious heat! For a balanced bite, we recommend adding around seven peppers, but feel free to adjust to your spice level.
You’ll need a large stockpot or dutch oven, wooden spatula, ladle, chef’s knife, and cutting board to bring it all together. The vibrant colors and fragrant aromas will transform your kitchen into a Thai retreat! Plus, it’s naturally gluten and dairy-free, making it perfect for a variety of dietary preferences. This recipe is also ideal for meal prepping—just store leftovers in a quart-sized container and freeze or refrigerate for later use.
Quick Tips for Perfecting Your Tom Yum:
- Lemongrass Hack: Cut your lemongrass stalks in half horizontally and steep them in the broth for at least 5 minutes to release their oils before removing them.
- Mushroom Substitute: baby bella mushrooms are a fantastic alternative to king oyster mushrooms, soaking up all the soup’s flavors beautifully.
Whether served as a starter or main course, this homemade classic Thai soup is a showstopper that will warm you up and take your taste buds straight to Thailand.
Tom Yum Soup
Ingredients
- 9 cups Water
- 1.5 cups Chicken Stock for more protein try adding chicken bone broth.
- 1 can Coconut Milk
- 4 tbls Garlic Paste You can also use minced garlic 3 tbls or 6 crushed cloves of garlic.
- ¼ cup Fish Sauce
- 5 Cubed Roma Tomatoes
- 2 Cubed Onions
- 6 Stalks Lemongrass Peel green outer shell off
- ¼ Sliced Galanga root Has a soft ginger taste
- 7 Diced Thai red pepper If you are sensitive to spice add less
- 1 Package King Oyster Mushrooms or substitute for Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 15 crushed Kaffir Lime Leaves
- ½ Cup Thai Basil
- 1 Bag Frozen Shrimp add shrimp with shells to add to the flavor of the soup
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice if you use fresh limes add some zest in there as well to bring out the sour notes of the soup
- ¼ cup Cilantro or you can use this as a garnish
- 3 Tbls Sugar
Instructions
- Start by pouring water and chicken stock to a large pot or dutch oven.
- Next, add the shrimp to the soup with the spices, including the kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, Thai red hot pepper, garlic, galanga, and lemongrass.
- Let the soup come to a boil, then take out the lemongrass.
- Finally, add your mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, cilantro, and coconut milk.
- Let the soup cook for aboout an hour.
- Serve and enjoy!
