Tom Khaa Soup (also known as Tom Yum) is the most famous of all Thai soup recipes; it features all four flavours – salty, sour, sweet and spicy – and is guaranteed to get your metabolism racing. I’ve had plenty of Tom Yums in Melbourne but they’re rather mild compared to the ones I’ve had in Thailand.

This is the most traditional recipe I have found and one which will instantly clear out your sinuses, warm you up and get that metabolism fired up.

Helpful tips: Lemongrass is quite a woody spice, and the galangal and ginger can be quite strong and unpalatable to eat whole so you can either remove these prior to serving, or mince them before cooking with them.

And remember, if you’re making your own chicken stock at home (which is very easy by boiling up a couple of chicken carcasses in water with some finely diced onion, carrot and celery for an hour or two) then make sure you cool the stock in the fridge overnight first. This way any fat from the chicken will congeal on the top and can be removed prior to using, making the stock low fat.

Ingredients:

6 cups good-quality low fat chicken stock

4 kaffir lime leaves (can be purchased at most Asian food stores), OR 1/2 tsp. lime zest

2 stalks minced lemongrass, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 thin slices of galangal or ginger root

1 fresh red chili, with seeds, finely sliced

1 Tbsp. Thai Nam Prik Pao chili sauce

Fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

12 medium to large shrimp, shells removed

A handful of fresh basil

1/2 cup Carnation evaporated milk

1 tsp sugar or equivalent sweetener

A handful of fresh coriander

Optional: Additional vegetables of your choice, e.g. handful of broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or baby bok choy

Method

1. Place stock in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add the lemongrass and lime leaves and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Add the garlic, galangal/ginger, chili, chili sauce, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce and soy sauce.
5. Stir well and simmer 3 minutes.
6. Add the shrimp, basil leaves and any optional vegetables, if using.
7. Simmer until shrimp are pink and plump (about 3 minutes).
8. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the milk.
9. Ladle soup into bowls evenly and serve with fresh coriander.

 

Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4