Tom yum soup is a delicious dish from Thailand. Rich in flavor and loaded up with delicious ingredients, it's as filling and comforting as any chicken soup could ever hope to be. Here is our version of this amazing soup that is as simple as it is flavorful!

While the pre-made soup base can be found in stores and there's always the option to order takeout from a nice local restaurant, there's just no comparison to something you've made yourself.
Having the ability to cook up a pot of this spicy, savory, fragrant, and herbaceous soup whenever you want is a real treat, so we're going to show you how.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you will need to make this clear Tom Yum soup:
- chicken stock or broth
- lemongrass stalks
- tomatoes
- fresh ginger
- Thai red chilies - leave out if you don't like spicy food!
- fish sauce - this gives amazing flavor to the soup
- a touch of sugar
- shrimp - peeled and deveined
- mushrooms - straw mushrooms are a great Thai choice
- lime juice - freshly squeezed
- Garnishes - basil leaves, cilantro leaves, soy sauce
How to Make it
- Simmer. Place the stock into a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the lemongrass, tomatoes, ginger, and red chilies. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the other ingredients. Add the fish sauce, sugar, shrimp, mushrooms, and lime juice and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the shrimp and mushrooms are cooked through.
- Serve. To serve, pour the soup into four bowls and put a couple of the shrimps on a mini skewer in each bowl. Garnish with basil and cilantro. Add soy sauce to taste.
Tweaks
One of the best parts about learning to make your favorite takeout dishes is that you can tweak the ingredients and seasoning little by little to get it to more closely match the flavor profile you remember from your favorite restaurant. Maybe you could even improve on it. This recipe offers a great starting point for just that with tons of ways you can mix things up going forward.
However, I wouldn't recommend changing this delicious soup too much. You can get adventurous with the type of mushrooms you use. Instead of your classic straw mushrooms that might be hard to find, you can try shiitake, enoki or oyster mushrooms.
You can add evaporated milk to make it creamy. Omit certain herbs and spices that you don't like, such as the cilantro.
Storage & Reheating
- You can refrigerate this soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Do not leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Reheat it on the stove to a rolling boil for food safety purposes.
Enjoy!
Any other great Thai dishes you might want to learn how to make? There's a whole world of culinary creations out there to try, so don't let this be the place you stop.
Keep trying and keep eating and, before you know, you'll have the chops and the catalog of recipes to cook with the best of them. If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it!
📋Recipe
Tom Yum Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass - sliced
- 2 tomatoes - peeled, chopped and seeded
- 2 tablespoons ginger - grated
- 2 Thai red chili peppers - thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 12 shrimp - peeled and deveined
- 1 cup mushrooms - quartered (straw, enoki, shiitake or oyster)
- 1 lime - juiced
To Serve:
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh cilantro leaves
- soy sauce - to taste
Instructions
- Place the stock into a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil.5 cups chicken stock
- Add the lemongrass, tomatoes, ginger, and red chilies. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.2 stalks lemongrass, 2 tomatoes, 2 tablespoons ginger, 2 Thai red chili peppers
- Add the fish sauce, sugar, shrimp, mushrooms, and lime juice and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the shrimp and mushrooms are cooked through.2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 12 shrimp, 1 cup mushrooms, 1 lime
- To serve, pour the soup into four bowls and put a couple of the shrimps on a mini skewer in each bowl. Garnish with basil and cilantro. Add soy sauce to taste.
Notes
- You can refrigerate this soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Do not leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Reheat it on the stove to a rolling boil for food safety purposes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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