PProvenance
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Cooking in
Maple Ridge · Metro Vancouver
Nearest city · Vancouver Change
Thai · Thailand

Tom Yam Kung

Tom yam kung (spicy prawn soup) is the most internationally famous Thai soup — hot, sour, and aromatic. The broth is clear and intensely flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, and bird's eye chillies. It is not a cream soup — tom yam nam kon (creamy version with evaporated milk) is a variation; the original is clear, bold, and uncompromising.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4
Total25 min
Within reach0of 6 in Maple Ridge

Six not yet within reach.

How the 6 are reached
Not yet within reach
6 · lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind paste, palm sugar, cilantro leaves
Cook
‹ Previous · Tom Yam (Hot and Sour Soup)|Next · Tom Yum Kung — Classic Prawn Hot-Sour Soup / ต้มยำกุ้ง ›
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

1 liter
chicken or vegetable stock
Your own market
4–5
Thai bird's eye chilies
whole or split
Your own market
3 stalks
lemongrass
white part only, bruised and cut 2 cm lengths
Origin · ThailandNot yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
4 slices
galangal
fresh, 3 mm thick
Not yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
2
kaffir lime leaves
torn
Not yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
250 g
large shrimp
peeled, deveined
Your own market
100 g
straw mushrooms
whole or halved if large
Your own market
3 tablespoons
tamarind paste
Not yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
3 tablespoons
fish sauce
nam pla
Your own market
10 ml
palm sugar
Origin · IndonesiaNot yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
2 tablespoons
fresh lime juice
Your own market
Cilantro leaves
for garnish
Not yet within reach of Maple Ridge · each reach is counted
Scallions
sliced thin, for garnish
Your own market

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Maple Ridge →
II

The Method

1
Bring stock to boil in pot over high heat.
2
Add chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves; simmer 5 minutes to infuse aromatics.
3
Add shrimp and mushrooms; simmer 3–4 minutes until shrimp are opaque and mushrooms are tender.
4
Stir in tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar; simmer 2 minutes to meld flavors.
From the canon — Fish sauce — nam pla — is the universal salt of the Thai kitchen. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla): Selection and Use →
5
Remove from heat; adjust seasoning with lime juice, adding more tamarind or fish sauce to balance sour and salty notes.
6
Ladle into bowls; garnish with cilantro leaves and scallions; serve immediately.
III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where tom yam lives or dies is the final balance check. Before serving, taste the broth: it should be simultaneously hot (chilli), sour (lime), salty (fish sauce), and aromatic (lemongrass-galangal-kaffir lime). If any element is absent or dominant, adjust. Add lime juice for more sour. Add fish sauce for more salt. Add more bruised chilli for heat. Add a bruised lemongrass stalk for more aroma. The balance is not fixed — it is arrived at fresh each time.
Pillar IV
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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V

What to Pour

Pouring for South Australia ·

The pairing
1897 Amber Ale
Stanley Park Brewing · Metro Vancouver
Not yet stocked in South Australia
Beer
From South Australia
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz
Henschke · Barossa Valley
Not yet stocked in South Australia
Wine
Without alcohol
Loop Lime Lemon Sour
BSA (Brasserie St-Antoine)
Not yet stocked in South Australia
Non-alcoholic

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VI
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen
Cost this recipe
Part of The Profession · ingredient costs and your margin
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HACCP brief
Part of The Profession · the food-safety plan
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← PreviousTom Yam (Hot and Sour Soup)One standard · no exceptions