By: Erna Dyanty

This recipe originates from Thailand but has been picked up and is famous almost everywhere in the world. If you had this before in a Thai restaurant, it falls under the name Tom Yum Goong. You may find a thin layer of oil on the surface, so is this recipe a diet friendly option? YES IT IS!

Tom Yum: A Thai spicy, sweet & sour soup, By: Erna Dyanty

The oil on the surface is not additional, it comes from the seafood or chicken added into the pot. The base of this soup is really just stock and added ingredients to the broth. In fact, when doing the calorie count, with noodles Tom Yum is just 400 calories per serving and serving it with just vegetables and prawns or chicken this dish just racks up about 150 calories. You can make only the broth without any other ingredients and store it in the freezer. The next time you need it, just pop it into a pot and let it melt on the stove.

This recipe will teach you how to make the broth and turn it into Tom Yum Goong. If you’ve made more than the proposed serving, be sure to freeze the extra broth and you can make this again for the following week.

Tom Yum Goong Recipe

Ingredients for the Broth
500ml water

2 shallots sliced

3 garlic cloves sliced

2 sticks of lemon grass bruised

2 inches of galangal

2 kaffir lime leaves

3 – 5 birds eye chilli bruised

1 chicken granule or 500ml stock

4 tbsp of lime juice

3 tbsp of fish sauce or very light soy sauce

salt

sugar

How to Make Tom Yum Goong

1. To make the broth, put the water in the pot. With it all the other ingredients except lime juice, fish sauce, salt and sugar.
2. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and add all the remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Cool completely and store OR use immediately by adding other ingredients. See recipe below.

Variation of the soup: Spicy Chicken & Prawn Coconut Milk Soup

Ingredients:

1 bowl of either chicken, seafood or red meat

Handful of oyster mushrooms

1 small cup of baby corn or any desired vegetables

¼ cup of coconut milk *optional

( adding coconut milk this will not make the soup creamy – it just binds the ingredients.)

How to Make Spicy Chicken & Prawn Coconut Milk Soup

1. To the boiling broth, add the chicken and the prawns. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Before taking it off the heat, add in all your desired vegetables.
3. Add in the coconut milk towards the end and let simmer for 10 minutes.