Tom Yum (yam) soup is a Thai hot and sour soup that has a fair amount of variations. The two main types are clear and creamy. If you want to make a creamy tom yum, use coconut milk for the base. For this clear tom yum, I used a of a fortified chicken broth.
This is one of my soups where I build it in steps. First, I created a broth with chicken stock then fortified it with shrimp shells and aromatics. Once the broth was established, I strained out the aromatics then used it to poach my shrimp, further enhancing the flavor. From there I used a combination of pork and mushrooms, which I marinated overnight then grilled to get a light char flavor. I then took the stems from the mushrooms, the bones from the pork, more aromatics, and tied them up in a sachet to add to the soup. From this point I layered the soup, starting with onions and the sachet, adding the meat and mushrooms, then the rest of the vegetables. To finish the soup I used rice noodles and the poached shrimp.
This is a perfect soup to adjust to your flavors. If you can tweak it out to your palate, this will be a go to soup for quick meals. This version has a couple more steps, but if you start with the pork and mushrooms in the pot, sear and season, you skip the whole grilling process, cut the time by half, and still get an amazing soup.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
Tom Yum Broth 4 qts
Tomatoes, chopped 4 ea
Chili Oil 1 T
Szechuan Peppercorn Oil 1 T
Shrimp, peeled 2 lbs
Limes, Zested and Juiced 4 ea
Onions, julienned 3 ea
Garlic Cloves 4 ea
Ginger, sliced 1 oz
Galangal Root 1 oz
Lemongrass, sliced 1 oz
Fish Sauce 1 oz
Savoy Cabbage 1/2 head
Carrots, shredded 3 ea
Rice Noodles 1 lb
Mirin 2 oz
Rice Vine Vinegar 2 oz
Thai Chilies, thinly sliced to taste
Kaffir Lime leave, chiffonade to taste
Method of Procedure
Once your broth is strained, bring to a simmer and poach off your shrimp for about 6 minutes. Remove from the broth and chill. Once cooled, slice in half. Reserve until the end.
Grill your pork and your mushrooms to get a light char and let cool. Once cooled, remove the bones and reserve, then slice the pork into strips to add in later.
Remove the large stems from the mushrooms and break down the mushrooms into smaller pieces for your soup.
Take your pork bones, mushroom stems, garlic, ginger, galangal, and lemongrass, then tie it up in a sachet.
Begin making your soup by sauteing your onions in the chili and peppercorn oil.
Add your sachet and fish sauce, then continue to cook until softened.
Put in your pork and mushrooms and cook while stirring for about 15 minutes to mix everything.
Add your Tom Yum Broth and sachet to your pork and mushrooms and bring to a simmer.
Add your chopped tomatoes and simmer for about one hour.
While your soup is simmering prepare your rice noodles per package.
Using a mandolin or knife, thinly slice your cabbage and shred your carrots. Mix with your Mirin and rice wine vinegar and let cure for about 1 hour.
Add your lime juice and zest to your soup then season to taste with salt.
To plate your soup, add your cooked rice noodles (about 2 oz or more if a full meal), your shredded carrots and cabbage, kaffir lime, Thai chilies, poached shrimp (about 2 shrimp per soup) and a ladle of your soup with mushrooms and pork. Bring to a simmer, season to taste, and serve.
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