Tom yum soup is a popular Thai dish made with a broth of fish sauce, galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, lime juice, tamarind, and chili pepper. It is often topped with fresh cilantro and includes protein such as chicken, shrimp, fish, or mixed seafood. Different proteins give the soup different names. Some food manufacturers offer a paste, but the soup is traditionally made with fresh ingredients.
Tom yum soup is a kind of Thai soup known for its broth that is both salty, spicy and sour. In translation from its Thai name, Tom Yum is also sometimes spelled Tom Yam and Dom Yam. All three of these spellings, however, refer to the same dish. This soup is very popular in Thailand and in Thai restaurants abroad. In fact, it’s probably one of the most popular Thai dishes in the whole world.
The broth for this soup is made with fish sauce, galangal, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves, lime juice and tamarind. Crushed chiles are also added to the base stock to give it its spiciness. It is also the chili pepper that gives the broth its characteristic deep orange colour. A distinguishing feature is the generous amount of herbs that are used in the creation of the soup. It’s often topped with a small pile of fresh cilantro leaves, which are also known as “coriander.” Straw or oyster mushrooms, or both, are also part of most tom yum soup recipes.
In addition to a tasty broth topped with fresh, fragrant vegetables, tom yum soup also includes protein. While some Thai restaurants in the West offer this soup with tofu, this isn’t a traditional way to serve the dish. Rather, the common proteins added to tom yum broth are chicken, shrimp or prawns, fish, or a mix of seafood. Depending on what kind of protein is added to the soup, the name of the dish changes. The following key will teach you to distinguish between different types of soup:
Tom yum gai: a soup with chicken
Tom yum goong: a soup with prawns or prawns
Tom yum pla: a soup with fish
Tom yum talay / po taek: a soup with mixed seafood.
Tom yum khon: A less popular version of the soup where coconut milk is added to the broth
Some food manufacturers offer a tom yum paste which is made from the basic ingredients in the soup. This paste can be reconstituted into a broth. Traditionally, however, the soup is meant to be made with mostly fresh ingredients. While pasta may offer a good flavor, it may not taste exactly like that of traditional soup.
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