Clear Tom Yum Goong with Straw Mushrooms (Authentic Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup)

Tom yum goong in its clear-broth form is Thai cooking at its most fragrant: sour, spicy, and perfumed with a handful of fresh herbs. Making it at home means you control the balance exactly the way you like it. This version adds straw mushrooms; if you want a redder, richer soup, stir in a little Thai chili paste (nam prik pao).

What goes into clear tom yum goong?

The backbone of the soup is the classic tom yum herb set: lemongrass, shallots, young galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. It is seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh chilies, and finished with straw mushrooms (or any mushroom you like) and a scattering of cilantro or culantro for aroma.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water or stock
• 10 fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into short pieces and bruised
• 3 shallots, halved
• 5 slices galangal (or fresh ginger in a pinch)
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) straw mushrooms, halved (or button or oyster mushrooms)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• Bird's eye chilies, fresh chilies, or crushed dried chilies, to taste
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 stems cilantro or culantro (sawtooth coriander), chopped

Instructions

1. Bring the water or stock to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink and opaque, then lift them out and set aside.
2. Add the lemongrass, galangal, shallots, chilies, mushrooms, and kaffir lime leaves to the pot. Return to a boil, then turn off the heat.
3. Season with the fish sauce and lime juice, tasting and adjusting until the soup is as sour and salty as you like.
4. Place the shrimp in serving bowls, ladle the hot soup over, and garnish with cilantro.

Tips

• Add the lime juice after turning off the heat to keep its flavor fresh and bright.
• No shrimp? Fish, pork, or chicken all work, and a vegetables-only version is delicious too.
• For a more vivid color and depth, stir in a teaspoon of Thai chili paste (nam prik pao).