Step 1

First thing to do is put about 2 liters of water in a pot to boil.

Step 2

Then I like to start by squeezing my limes. This is not the first step of the recipe, but it’s best to have your limes squeezed so when you need them later, you don’t need to rush to squeeze them all. Slice about 10 limes and juice them all into a small bowl, and set them aside for later.

Step 3

Take your stalks of lemongrass, and first tear off the outermost leaf and throw it out. Then, I like to use a mallet to lightly pound the lemongrass to release the flavors. Then just slice it diagonally into 1 inch strips or so.

Step 4

Take about 1 thumb sized chunk of the root part of galangal, and chop it into slices.

Step 5

Coarsely break about 10 kaffir lime leaves - no need to cut them, just tear them - which is going to help release their flavor.

Step 6

Peel about 5 cloves of garlic.

Step 7

I used about 10 Thai bird chilies (prik kee noo) for this recipe, but you can use however many you’d like. First, take off the stem, and then you can either just slice them in two pieces, or give them a little pound on your cutting board like I did (just be careful of flying seeds). You can also remove the seeds if you’d still like the chili flavor but not as much heat.

Step 8

Throw the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and chilies into the water. You can put on the lid just so it starts to boil and release all the herb flavors quicker.

Step 9

Now prepare your shrimp (or whatever meat of choice you’re making tom yum with). Since I used goong mae nam (กุ้งแม่น้ำ), freshwater shrimp, I first chopped off all the tentacles.

Step 10

Boil your soup with all the herbs in it for about 10 minutes, and you can go ahead and toss in the shrimp and turn the fire to low.

Step 11

Then add your mushrooms, which you should pre rinse beforehand.

Step 12

Take two roma tomatoes and two small white onions and slice them into wedges - you want them to be big and chunky. Then go ahead and add them to the tom yum.

Step 13

If you’re using shrimp for this tom yum recipe, you might get some foam build up on top of your soup, in which case you can just lightly skim it off the top and toss it out.

Step 14

Boil the tom yum for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Step 15

Next, add about 6 tablespoons of fish sauce first, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. You may need more of each, but start with that.

Step 16

Boil your tom yum for another minute or so and then turn off the heat. You don’t want your tom yum to be overcooked. The mushrooms and onions should be soft, and then it’s ready.

Step 17

Once your heat is off, go back to your lime juice and add about 8 tablespoons of lime juice (depending on how sour you like it, I like it really sour).

Step 18

Make sure you taste test until your tom yum is perfectly sour and salty. You might need to add more fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice.

Step 19

Finally chop up a handful of fresh cilantro, throw it in the soup, and give your tom yum a final stir. The lime juice and cilantro taste fresher and more vibrant when not boiled, so that’s why I turn off the heat before adding them.

Step 20

You now have Tom yum goong nam sai (ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำใส), the clear version of tom yum.

Step 21

For this recipe, I took out about ½ of the tom yum and set it aside as the clear version, and then made the other ½ as the creamy version.

Step 22

Turn your heat back on low.

Step 23

Add about 3 heaping tablespoons of Thai roasted chili sauce (nam prik pao น้ำพริกเผา) to your soup and stir it in.

Step 24

Also about 10 tablespoons of evaporated milk.

Step 25

Mix it all in and let your soup heat up for about 1 minute.

Step 26

At this stage, you’ll need to taste test and evaluate. The roasted chili sauce and creaminess from the evaporated milk will alter the flavors from the clear version, so you might need more lime juice and more fish sauce. Just keep taste testing until it’s exactly how you like it.

Step 27

And there you have the creamy version of tom yum.

Step 28

First thing to do is put about 2 liters of water in a pot to boil.

Step 29

Then I like to start by squeezing my limes. This is not the first step of the recipe, but it’s best to have your limes squeezed so when you need them later, you don’t need to rush to squeeze them all. Slice about 10 limes and juice them all into a small bowl, and set them aside for later.

Step 30

Take your stalks of lemongrass, and first tear off the outermost leaf and throw it out. Then, I like to use a mallet to lightly pound the lemongrass to release the flavors. Then just slice it diagonally into 1 inch strips or so.

Step 31

Take about 1 thumb sized chunk of the root part of galangal, and chop it into slices.

Step 32

Coarsely break about 10 kaffir lime leaves - no need to cut them, just tear them - which is going to help release their flavor.

Step 33

Peel about 5 cloves of garlic.

Step 34

I used about 10 Thai bird chilies (prik kee noo) for this recipe, but you can use however many you’d like. First, take off the stem, and then you can either just slice them in two pieces, or give them a little pound on your cutting board like I did (just be careful of flying seeds). You can also remove the seeds if you’d still like the chili flavor but not as much heat.

Step 35

Throw the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and chilies into the water. You can put on the lid just so it starts to boil and release all the herb flavors quicker.

Step 36

Now prepare your shrimp (or whatever meat of choice you’re making tom yum with). Since I used goong mae nam (กุ้งแม่น้ำ), freshwater shrimp, I first chopped off all the tentacles.

Step 37

Boil your soup with all the herbs in it for about 10 minutes, and you can go ahead and toss in the shrimp and turn the fire to low.

Step 38

Then add your mushrooms, which you should pre rinse beforehand.

Step 39

Take two roma tomatoes and two small white onions and slice them into wedges - you want them to be big and chunky. Then go ahead and add them to the tom yum.

Step 40

If you’re using shrimp for this tom yum recipe, you might get some foam build up on top of your soup, in which case you can just lightly skim it off the top and toss it out.

Step 41

Boil the tom yum for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Step 42

Next, add about 6 tablespoons of fish sauce first, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. You may need more of each, but start with that.

Step 43

Boil your tom yum for another minute or so and then turn off the heat. You don’t want your tom yum to be overcooked. The mushrooms and onions should be soft, and then it’s ready.

Step 44

Once your heat is off, go back to your lime juice and add about 8 tablespoons of lime juice (depending on how sour you like it, I like it really sour).

Step 45

Make sure you taste test until your tom yum is perfectly sour and salty. You might need to add more fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice.

Step 46

Finally chop up a handful of fresh cilantro, throw it in the soup, and give your tom yum a final stir. The lime juice and cilantro taste fresher and more vibrant when not boiled, so that’s why I turn off the heat before adding them.

Step 47

You now have Tom yum goong nam sai (ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำใส), the clear version of tom yum.

Step 48

For this recipe, I took out about ½ of the tom yum and set it aside as the clear version, and then made the other ½ as the creamy version.

Step 49

Turn your heat back on low.

Step 50

Add about 3 heaping tablespoons of Thai roasted chili sauce (nam prik pao น้ำพริกเผา) to your soup and stir it in.

Step 51

Also about 10 tablespoons of evaporated milk.

Step 52

Mix it all in and let your soup heat up for about 1 minute.

Step 53

At this stage, you’ll need to taste test and evaluate. The roasted chili sauce and creaminess from the evaporated milk will alter the flavors from the clear version, so you might need more lime juice and more fish sauce. Just keep taste testing until it’s exactly how you like it.

Step 54

And there you have the creamy version of tom yum.