Incredibly spicy... fiery spicy... that's the first thing,what comes to mind when you hear about Thai cuisine. Indeed, hot peppers and spices are the main components without which no recipe for spicy Thai dishes can do. And the most famous dish, of course, is tom yum soup, in which you will find a whole palette of flavors. Spicy, sour, sweet and salty at the same time, tom yum is not without reason considered the hallmark of Thai cuisine. Its taste is magnificent, so rich and unusual that it is impossible to forget. It is easy to prepare, it does not take much time, so the recipe for this wonderful soup will be useful to any housewife. There are several varieties of this wonderful soup, the recipe for each differs from the others mainly due to one or two ingredients. Tom yum kung, or spicy soup with shrimp, deservedly takes first place in the top ten most favorite dishes of tourists. Its taste is so good that, having tried it once, everyone will want more and more. In addition to its extraordinary taste, this soup also has healing properties - just look at the list of ingredients included in the recipe:

• Chili is used as a cough medicine. It is useful for the entire respiratory system, as well as for the heart.
• Lime is used to prevent cough, cold and scurvy.
• Kafir lime is used to give a pleasant citrus smell to dishes. His juice cough and some types of abdominal pain are treated.
• Lemongrass helps to cope with excessive gassing in the stomach and intestines, reduces temperature and prevents the spread of certain types of bacteria.

These are just some of the beneficial properties of Tom Yum soup.Plus, it's very nutritious, thanks to the shrimp and vegetables. It's the kind of food that not only fills you up, but also helps you stay healthy. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Tom Yum Kung is considered one of the best Thai dishes. So, here's the recipe for the most popular Thai dish. Meet Tom Yum Kung, a spicy Thai soup with shrimp.

What will you need?

• 1 liter of chicken broth
• 5-6 leaves of kafir lime
• 2 stems of lemongrass, aka lemon grass
• 1 root of the galangal
• 1 fresh chili pepper
• 200 g fresh shiitake mushrooms
• juice of one lime
• Thai fish sauce - 2 tbsp.
• soy sauce - 1 tbsp.
• 450 g large peeled shrimp
• sugar - 1 tsp.
• A small bunch of fresh coriander

What to do if you can't find everythingWhat are the ingredients needed for Tom Yum? First of all, don’t despair! In extreme cases, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves can be replaced with lime zest, galangal with the root of regular ginger, shiitake with oyster mushrooms or champignons. Soy sauce is suitable instead of fish sauce with its specific smell, and Thai chili sauce (1-2 tsp) will be a great substitute for fresh chili pepper. As a base for preparing the soup, you can use a special paste for Tom Yum soup. It already contains the necessary spices, such as lemongrass and galangal. This is a classic Tom Yum soup recipe that does not use coconut milk. It is added to get a softer taste and soften the spiciness.

How to cook

Tom yum cooks very quickly, so firstAll ingredients must be cut: mushrooms - into 4 pieces, galangal - into thin slices, lemongrass - into 2-3 cm pieces, lime leaves must be separated from the stems and chopped. Bring the previously prepared chicken broth to a boil over high heat.

Add lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. Bring to a boil again.

When the soup boils, the fire should be reduced slightly. Put the chili pepper, mushrooms in a saucepan, pour out the fish and soy sauce. Stir well and keep on fire for three minutes.

Add the shrimp and lime juice. Wait for the shrimp to turn pink.

Thai soup is almost ready!Now you need to reduce the heat to a minimum. If you decided to change the tom yum recipe and add coconut milk, now is the time. Now is the real magic. You need to taste the soup and change it, “tune” it to your taste. If there is not enough salt, you need to add a little fish sauce. If the soup is too sour, add more sugar. Coconut milk will make it less spicy. If the soup is too salty, you will need lime juice. Tom yum should be served hot, you can add a little fresh cilantro to the plate. Instead of bread, it is better to use boiled rice. Galangal and lemongrass do not need to be eaten, they remain in the plate.

What can be done differently?

• Lightly fry the shrimps in the oil before putting them in the soup
• Try to change the recipe slightly by making a volume of pits on a fish or meat broth.
• Replace the shrimp with chicken (in this case it is better to use chicken broth).
• On the garnish you can cook thinly sliced ​​mushrooms.
• Sometimes fresh lemongrass is put in the prepared soup. It is very fibrous, so it is not eaten.
• Tom yam can even be vegetarian! In this case, you need to prepare a vegetable broth, add more mushrooms and vegetables, for example, tomatoes.

A few more secrets in the end

It is not necessary to use chicken broth.If you want the tom yum to taste more "seafood", try another broth recipe. You will need unpeeled shrimp, or rather, the heads left after cleaning the shrimp. They need to be thrown into boiling water and cooked until the water turns slightly orange. Strain the broth, discard the shrimp heads.

To make the soup less spicy, chop the peppers from the seeds.

Shrimp cooked very quickly. Be careful, they can become worse in taste if you digest them.

Comments

comments