Tom yum (ต้มยำ) - Fresh Food / Chilled Ready to Eat / Chilled Food

What is Tom Yum Soup?

Tom yum (ต้มยำ) is a type of Thai hot and sour soup where the iconic flavours come from 3 herbs: lemongrass, galangal, and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. For Thai people, these 3 herbs are very much associated with tom yum, which is why I call them the "tom yum trinity."

Tom yum can be made with any protein, including tom yum chicken, tom yum fish, and even tom yum with your leftovers, but the most popular version, and the one we're making in this recipe, is made with shrimp, i.e. tom yum goong ต้มยำกุ้ง (goong means shrimp).

If I had to pick a national dish for Thailand this would be a strong contender because it's eaten all over the country and is loved by essentially everyone. It's served at street-side eateries, fancy restaurants, and is commonly made at home. It was also a staple in my elementary school cafeteria!

Thai people love tom yum flavour so much that we incorporate it into many other dishes like tom yum spaghetti, tom yum fried rice, and even tom yum pizza which was originally introduced by Pizza Hut in Thailand! You can also make a delicious tom yum stir fry or what we call "dry tom yum."