Tom Yum Goong, or tom yum kung, is a popular kind of well-known Thai soup. It stands on its own among soups, because it is spicy, hot, and sour, and many people all over the world love it, seeking it out at their favorite restaurants. Prawns or large shrimp are its major ingredient, but that is only part of the story, it provides the name, but not the taste. Goong or Kung is a Thai word for prawns. The spicy, hot taste comes from chilli pepper and pepper corns. Tamarind and lemon provide the sour flavor. The whole is greater than the parts; the soup is more than a shellfish dish that is spicy and sour.
Tom Yum Goong Preparation
To prepare this soup, you start with the Prawns or large shrimps. Remove the heads and shells of the prawns after washing them, but keep their tails. Keep the heads and shells to make the stock. Remove the veins of the prawns with a knife, but be careful not to cut your hand.
Prepare the stock next. Saute the prawn heads and shells in a tablespoon of oil. After about 10 minutes, they will turn a deep orange, which is an indication that they are done. Then add to them three quarters of a cup of water along with 2 tablespoons of red curry paste and boil for another 5 minutes. The mixture reduces at this stage; but we need a broth; therefore, we add a jug of water to increase its volume. Boil this mixture for a further 20 minutes. Now separate the liquid by pouring through a sieve to remove the heads and shells.
With our broth, we start to work on the characteristic taste. We now add 2 tablespoons of processed tamarind, 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of finely cut red chillies and 5 shredded kaffir lime leaves. To start to get our synthesis of flavors, we boil just this mixture for another 2-3 minutes, then add the prawns. Further cooking for another 5 to 6 minutes turns the prawns a light pink, and they are cooked.
Tom Yum Goong Presentation and Serving
We are now back to working on the distinctive taste. We now shift to the sweet portion of the sour taste and develop the complexity of our flavor by adding 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar, 3 teaspoons of lime juice and 3 teaspoons of fish sauce. Mix these well with the soup base and shrimps, and you are done! Serve it hot by garnishing with coriander leaves, and enjoy your freshly prepared Tom Yum Goong.
