From Somebody Feed Phil · 2018- · Reconstructed
Tom Yum Soup
Serve when
Ladle it out the moment the broth turns cloudy and fragrant — that's the sign it's ready.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E1 · ~00:16:00 Alongside her famous crab omelet, Jay Fai serves Phil a bowl of tom yum, the classic hot-and-sour Thai soup, cooked with the same intensity as everything else at her stall
In the series
Tom yum shows up as the quieter half of Jay Fai's meal — the crab omelet gets the visual drama, but the soup is the dish that actually demonstrates her range: a balance of sour, spicy, and savory built in minutes over the same violent heat as everything else she cooks.
Ingredients
Method
- If using shrimp shells, simmer them in the stock for 10 minutes to build extra flavor, then strain them out.
- Bring the stock to a boil with lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, and chilies, and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse.
- Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender, then add the shrimp and cook just until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and chili paste. Taste and balance — tom yum should hit sour, salty, spicy, and a little sweet all at once.
- For the creamy version (tom yum nam khon), stir in the evaporated milk at the end. Finish with cilantro.
Substitutions
- Galangal: Fresh ginger is a common substitute, though the flavor is sharper and less floral than true galangal.
- Kaffir lime leaves: Extra lime zest is the easiest stand-in when fresh leaves aren't available, though it won't carry quite the same aromatic punch.