Tom Yum Goong Soup Recipe - Nam Kon Style with Chili Paste
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: tom yum goong, tom yum kung, tom yum nam kon, tom yum soup, tom yum soup recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 7 minutesminutes
Total Time: 17 minutesminutes
Servings: 2person
Calories: 456kcal
Author: Phasinee Doddeo
Cost: $5
This hot & sour Thai soup is famous the world over and for me, the addition of the chili paste makes a world of difference in taste. This authentic but easy recipe, wastes little and is just the BEST - of course!!
It's really easy and best to make the stock from the ingredients you will use. So devein the shrimp first and remove the outer shell which you will use for making stock (see post for easy tips on deveining and shell removal). I like to leave the tails on as you can grab these to eat.
Remove the shrimp heads and put them into the water with the shrimp shells and begin to heat up to a low simmer.
Cut off the tops of the lemongrass and half the remaining stalks and crush by whacking with a heavy pestle or in a mortar. Also, cut off the oldest part of the galangal and whack that to crush it a bit too. Add the crushed lemongrass and galangal to the simmering prawn heads and shells.
Cut off the root from your cilantro and crush, and peel and crush the shallot and add these to the stock too. Simmer for a good ten minutes.
Preparing the Rest of the Tom Yum Ingredients
If you have young lemongrass and galangal then you can eat it. If you wish to eat these healthy ingredients then slice thinly as they are not too woody if they are young. If you prefer not to eat them or they are older then slice more thickly so they are easily visible and so not likely to end up your mouth by mistake.
The kaffir lime leaf is another ingredient that can be eaten or not depending on your taste. If you want to eat it then julienne the leaves finely after removing the center stem and leaf-spine. If you prefer not to eat the kaffir leaf then remove the spine and tear each leaf into four. You'll easily be able to see them and avoid putting them in your mouth.
Cut the backs of the shrimp and open them out so they lay flatter and look bigger. This makes them easier to cook and is often called butterflying the shrimp.
Finishing the Soup
When the stock is done simmering which will probably coincide with you finishing your prep work, add the sliced galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaf. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before adding in the shrimp and mushrooms.
If using straw mushrooms then add before the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes first but if replacing with button mushrooms then add the shrimp with the mushrooms. Again it is personal preference as to how cooked you like your mushrooms and I would not presume to know that. Experiment - it's the meaning of life!
Stir while the shrimp is cooking which will take 4-5 minutes and then add in about half of the chili paste and stir to incorporate and turn the soup a pale red color, Don't worry about any small amount of oil you may see on the surface which may come out of the chili paste.
After stirring for a minute or two, turn off the heat and add in one half of the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar and stir around in the hot soup to dissolve.
Taste your soup. now you can add in more umami and saltiness by adding a little more fish sauce, increase sourness by adding a little more lime juice or sweeten a tiny bit more with a little more sugar. Adjust taste to get it just perfect to your desire.
If you don't know what it should taste like then just add the quantities that I use and concern yourself with getting what you think is fairly mild chili heat and let the rest take care of itself. You can always adjust by adding more or adding water or more stock if available to dilute.
Just before you serve, chop the cilantro leaves with or without the smaller stems (to your preference again) and stir into the soup immediately before serving.
Video
Easy Tom Yum Goong Recipe - Best Authentic Thai Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup with Chili Paste (Nam Kon)
Notes
This soup is best served with freshly steamed aromatic jasmine rice.You will see I mention adjusting a lot of variables in the recipe according to your taste. It is your soup and every restaurant and Thai will have their own opinion as to what tastes best. That is the nature of Thai cooking. Up to you is the mantra.I know my recipe is the Best Tom Yum Goong Soup this side of the Andromeda galaxy but you are free to try to improve it. I just want you to enjoy it - please!