Tom yum: classic recipe

Prepare all the ingredients for the classic tom yum recipe at home. Tom yum is prepared very quickly, but only if you already have ready-made broth. You can cook it in advance or use frozen broth. The broth can be chicken or fish. If you use fish broth, the soup will have a more pronounced fishy taste. If you want to prepare it with chicken broth, the soup will be very rich. For the soup, you will need large shrimp or langoustines. Take 8 large shrimp per portion. You will also need lemon juice or lime juice. Keep in mind that lime juice has a more sour taste. Enoki mushrooms have a neutral taste. You can replace them with champignons. Rinse the mushrooms and tomatoes under running water. Thaw the shrimp/langoustines. Instead of coconut milk, you can use coconut cream. You will need less - only 2-3 tablespoons.

I have ready-made broth, dried galangal (Siamese ginger), and dried lemongrass. Bring the broth to a boil, add the spices, and let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. During this time, the spices will release their aromas and enrich the broth. Turn off the broth and strain it through cheesecloth. You can discard the boiled spices.

Wash the mushrooms well under running water. If you have enoki mushrooms, remove the spongy base. You can replace enoki with champignons. In this case, cut them into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on the size.

Now, add the tom yum paste, after which the soup is named, to the strained broth. Pour in fish sauce and add mushrooms. Mix well to dissolve the paste completely in the broth. Now, the broth should come to a boil. Taste it. The paste is already spicy, but if you want a spicier taste, you can add 1 or 2 dried chili peppers now. If the broth is not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce.

The crucial moment is to prepare the shrimp for the tom yum according to the classic recipe at home. They are already thawed. Now you need to clean them and remove the intestine. Remove the shell, leaving the tail and a little near it. This is for easy eating in the soup, pulling and holding onto the tail. This is what a Korean woman told me, and I was grateful to her for this advice. Indeed, it is much more convenient to eat shrimp while holding onto the tail. Now, using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the backbone. The incision should be no more than 1 mm deep, so as not to cut the shrimp all the way through. Hook the black vein - the intestine, and remove it. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes and shrimp to the boiling broth. Let the broth come to a boil.

After boiling, cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. If cooked for longer, they will become rubbery. Then add coconut milk to the broth, stir and remove from heat. You can replace coconut milk with coconut cream. In this case, 2-3 tablespoons will be enough. Next, add lemon juice or lime juice. It is necessary to taste the Tom Yum to understand how much juice to add.

Tom Yum should be eaten hot. It is rich, delicious, and spicy. With the given amount of ingredients, you will get 3 portions of soup. Approximately 8 shrimp for each plate. You can garnish the soup with finely chopped cilantro. However, this is optional and according to your preference. My family enjoyed it without cilantro. Homemade Tom Yum soup is ready. Enjoy your meal.