A recipe for Tom Yam

Tom Yam Soup, a 'hot spicy' soup popular in Thailand

Personally, I do not eat many hot dishes. I like Kimchee, Korean pickled cabbage, and Tom Yam, which is one of the most popular soups in Thailand. Indeed, I have even heard it said in Japan that it is one of the four most popular soups in the WORLD! So, letıs try to make some.

I have found several recipes, so I will try and Œcombineı them to give you a choice of ways to make them outside of Thailand. There are some ingredients not readily available in our country, so be flexible. I will base the recipe on Œusually available in most countriesı ingredients, and then offer Œplus and minusı suggestions.

• 1 liter¹ Chicken stock
• 1 Tbs. chili paste
• Salt, sugar and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tsp. lemon peel bits
• 1 Tsp. lime peel bits
• 2 Tsp. fish sauce
• 1-2 fresh chili peppers

¹ (1 liter equals 4 US or 5 International cups).

Tsp. = one US teaspoon, or one 5 ml spoon.

Tbs. = one US tablespoon or one 15 ml spoon.

• substitute fresh (1 stalk, cut) or dried (6 - 8 small pieces) lemon grass for lemon peel
• substitute 4 kaffir lime leaves for lime peel
• no substitute for fish sauce, but try using a lot of shrimp/fish/anchovies and salt.
• substitute (poor) chili powder, or extra peppers.
• galanga (1 piece) you really need this, but may be hard to find. No substitutes, but I have heard that a little powdered ginger may be close.

  Add

  about a cup of cut vegetables and half a cup of shrimp, fish and/or meat (note seafood is much more common). Examples:

  • cut tomato wedges
  • baby corn
  • shallots
  • mushrooms
  • parsley
  • others in season

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  Directions:

  1. Bring chicken stock to a boil.

  2. Add leaves, grass and/or peel bits, galanga and most vegetables (except tomatoes, if used). Boil for 3 - 5 minutes.

  3. Add seafood and tomatoes (if used). Boil until the shrimp is pink and the fish is cooked.

  4. Add the last ingredients (chili paste and peppers, juices). Stir.

  5. Pour into a big soup tureen, and serve.

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