Tom Yum Goong: Thai Hot and Sour Prawn Soup
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking, America's Test Kitchen and Serious Eats.
A fragrant Thai hot and sour soup with juicy prawns, mushrooms and tomatoes in a broth deepened by toasted prawn shells and perfumed with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. Bright with lime juice and gently fiery, it is easy to adjust to your taste for heat.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prepare the prawns. Peel and devein the prawns, keeping all the shells (and heads, if attached) for the stock. Refrigerate the prawn meat until needed. Keeping the meat cold while the stock cooks protects its delicate texture, while the shells hold most of the flavour.
- 2
Toast the shells. Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat and add the shells. Cook for 4-5 minutes, pressing them with the wooden spoon, until they turn pinky-orange and smell toasty. Browning the shells caramelises their proteins and natural sugars, giving the stock a rich, savoury depth.
- 3
Simmer the stock. Pour in the broth and water, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any browned bits, then bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Lift out and discard the shells with the slotted spoon. Ten minutes is enough to extract their flavour without turning the stock bitter.
- 4
Infuse the aromatics. Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, chillies and sugar, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. The broth should smell strongly citrusy and fragrant. These aromatics are there for flavour and are not eaten, so lift them out with the slotted spoon now if you prefer not to find them in the bowl; the pinch of sugar rounds off the sourness and heat.
- 5
Cook the mushrooms. Stir in the mushrooms and fish sauce and simmer for 3 minutes, until the mushrooms soften and turn glossy. Adding the fish sauce at this stage seasons the mushrooms as they cook and gives the broth its savoury backbone.
- 6
Poach the prawns. Add the prawns, turn off the heat, cover and leave for 3-5 minutes. They are done when pink and opaque right through and the thickest one reads 63°C. Gentle cooking in the hot broth, rather than boiling, stops them shrinking and turning rubbery.
- 7
Balance and serve. Stir in the tomatoes and lime juice, then taste and adjust with more fish sauce for saltiness or lime for sourness. Serve scattered with the coriander leaves. Adding lime juice off the heat keeps it fresh and sharp, as boiling dulls its flavour.
Storage
Best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 day; do not freeze, as the prawns turn rubbery. Reheat gently until piping hot (74°C), avoiding a hard boil. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why it's healthy
26.1 g protein for 177 kcal = 14.7 g per 100 kcal. Our High Protein label needs at least 10 g per 100 kcal. How we decide
Equipment
- large pot or casserole with a lid (at least 4 litres)
- wooden spoon
- slotted spoon
- meat mallet or rolling pin
- chopping board and knife
- ladle
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 177 kcal |
| Protein | 26.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.1 g |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 4.6 g |
| of which saturates | 0.4 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 2.42 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
14.7 g meets the High Protein rule (≥ 10 g)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
