Cook’s notes
Shrimps
Traditional shrimp tom yum uses unshelled shrimps, heads attached, which when simmered make a richly flavored broth. You may use frozen shelled shrimps AND shrimp broth without losing flavor. For more in prepping shrimps and making shrimp broth, see How to clean, peel and devein shrimps and prawns.Kaffir lime leaves
Are they available in the grocery? In some groceries, yes. They are sold fresh or dried.
We get our supply from our own kaffir lime tree. Juice from regular limes is traditional for tom yum, but we just substitute kaffir limes for any dish that calls for regular limes. See how to cook with kaffir limes and leaves.
Galangal
Many Western versions of tom yum substitute ginger for galangal, but in Asian cooking, they are not interchangeable. Galangal and ginger are often cooked together but, when a recipe calls for galangal only, ginger is not a viable alternative (the photo above is from a cooking class that my daughter and I attended in Chiang Mai, Thailand).
So, will it be such a disaster if ginger were used in cooking shrimp tom yum instead of galangal? Well, disaster may be too strong a word. If you do substitute, the flavor of the dish will be different. Not necessarily bad; just different.
Lemongrass
Only the lower portion of the lemongrass stalk is edible. The spathes are cut off and discarded leaving only the light colored portion of the stalk. The outer layers are peeled off to reveal the smoother interior which is then cut according to what a dish requires. The stalk can be thinly sliced and sauteed or it can be pounded into a paste as part of the spice base of a dish.
In this recipe, however, we’re using the entire stalks to flavor the broth. Just fish the out before serving the soup. I left them in the photos only for illustration. See how to grow and propagate lemongrass, and how to use it for cooking.Shrimp tom yum
Ingredients
- 6 cups shrimp broth
- 3 slices galangal (dried is fine)
- 2 whole stalks lemongrass tied into a bundle
- 2 shallots peeled and halved
- 2 pairs kaffir lime leaves center ribs removed and discarded
- 2 bird’s eye chilies slit
- 2 tomatoes cut into wedges
- 24 medium shrimps shelled and deveined
- fish sauce
- lime juice
- torn cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Pour the broth into a pot and bring to the boil.
- Drop the galangal slices, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies and tomatoes into the broth. Lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the shrimps to the broth.
- If the broth is unseasoned or underseasoned, add fish sauce.
- Cover the pot once more and simmer for five minutes, or just long enough to cook the shrimps through but without overcooking them.
- Taste the broth. Add more fish sauce, if needed.
- Drizzle in the lime juice, a tablespoonful at a time, tasting and adding as you go along until a good balance of salty and sour is achieved.
- Ladle your hot and sour shrimp tom yum into bowls, sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.
Chicken tom yum