Nothing better as a base for this tom yum goong soup than a homemade prawn broth! Tom yum what? This is a hot and sour Thai prawn soup, a very popular dish over there in Thailand. And very easy to make at home by the way.
You probably have heard of tom yum before.
Are you fond of Asian food?
And soups?
Then here’s one that you definitely have to try out one day.
Yes, you can prepare Thai dishes at home!
Cooking Thai isn’t all that difficult… ut of course you need to find the right ingredients, that’s a fact.
Thai Food
So you love Thai food. That’s great.
And how is your Thai?
Let’s see what tom yum goong means.
Do you know?
Each one of those 3 words tell you a lot about this recipe.
Tom means that the dish is boiled broth, and therefore hot.
Yum points towards a mixture of sweet and sour.
And the goong?
Well that stands for the prawn as a protein in this dish.
So there you go. Tom yum goong, or a boiled broth with sweet and sour prawns.
Prawns
Another dish that you are familiar with I’m sure: tom kha gai. Tom, the broth. Kha stands for galangal, that ginger like root. And gai means chicken.
Interesting!
Easy Tom Yum Goong (Hot Sour Prawn Soup)
Back to our tom yum goong recipe again.
So I made a prawn broth from scratch for this soup with the heads and scales of the prawns (goong) that I use as a protein.
Have you ever made a broth with prawn heads before?
You should!
Prawn Heads
There’s still lots of juice and flavor left in those heads, it’s such a waste if you throw them out straight away! If you have ever eaten whole grilled prawns and you (or you’ve seen people) suck out the cooked heads, you know why now.
I did the same to prepare my shrimp and cauliflower saffron soup!
So don’t throw the goodies out but use them for your broth base.
Enjoy!
Easy Tom Yum Goong Recipe
Tom yum goong, hot and sour Thai prawn soup in a homemade prawn broth! This is a popular Thai prawn soup and so easy to make at home!
- 3 cups water (720 ml)
- 12 fresh or frozen prawns unpeeled
- 2 red chili peppers
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 2 inch fresh ginger (5 cm)
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 large tomatoes
- 4 small white mushrooms
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 fresh lime sliced in half
- chopped fresh cilantro or mint
- hot chili sauce
1. Peel the shrimp and put them back in the fridge. Add the scales and heads to a large pot. Also add the dried chillies, sliced lime, the garlic cloves, lemongrass, fresh ginger and cold water.
2. Place the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat low, cover the pan and simmer the shrimp scales in the broth for 20 minutes. Then turn the heat off and place the sieve over another large pan. Pour the broth and ingredients in it.
3. Remove the red chili peppers and keep them aside. Stir the cooked scales and heads to get as much of the flavorful shrimp broth out. Then discard what’s left. Add the onion the broth as well as the red chili peppers and bring it to a gentle simmer again. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
4. Slice the mushrooms and tomatoes in bite size bits. Add them to the soup together with the peeled raw shrimp. Season with half of the fish sauce, half of the lime juice, a little hot chili sauce and half of the palm sugar.
5. Stir the soup and cook for another 2 minutes until the mushrooms are warmed through. Then check the seasoning and add extra hot chili sauce, palm sugar, fish sauce or lime juice to taste. Stir in the chopped cilantro.
6. Scoop the hot and sour shrimp soup into large bowls and serve hot.
