Tom Yam

[healthcaretaker]

There is a thread on Fried meat with basil leaves.

I will like to start a Tom Yam thread.

Tom Yam is probably the most popular Thai food in South East Asia. Maybe not so among Westerners because it's usually spicy.

I have these questions, hope some can help:

1) There are 2 types in my country, the clear type and the reddish curry type, i guess there is coconut milk in it too. I prefer the clear type and during my last visit, I have a tough time describing it to the restaurant owner as they don't speak English and hand signal is impossible to describe "clear type". What's the Thai name for it ?

2) Anyone can give a simple recipe for home cooking ?

3) I bought some Lobo brand of Tom Yam paste at 15 baht each but no one at home know how to use it. Is this paste good ? Any advice how to make the best out of it ?

Thanks in advance

[473geo]

Fry one whole onion chopped rough but small, cook slowly until golden and possibly just starting to burn. adds to the flavour (or use 6-7 chopped small shallotts unfried).....you can use unfried normal onion too instead of fried just put in with rest of ingredients, I just don't think the soup tastes quite as good.

medium - large size pan fill 2/3rds cold water

add 2 rough chopped tomato, and the fried onion, 5 or 6 rough chopped mushrooms

fillet two chicken thighs,(trim meat off along the bone) throw in bones, slice chicken into small chunks add to pan

start to heat pan - (add three bay leaves or another leaf that the wife gives me!! might be bay - similar )

add one or two lemon grass stalks

a dash of soy sauce, a couple of dashes of fish sauce, a teaspoonful of Thai (mae pranom) chilli paste, three or four slices of ginger

2-3 dried chilies snapped in half, two knorr tom yam soup (in red packet) stock cubes

Top pan up with cold water bring to boil - simmer for about an hour

Hot and bursting with flavour...... .....adjust amount of dried chillies and Thai chilli paste to personal tastes

Any resemblance to the Thai dish Tom Yum Gai is purely coincidental!!!!.......

[Hobc]

Yum is soup!!

[aircut]

Yum is soup!!

Basically you start with a chicken or shrimp stock

bring to slow boil with galanga, Kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.

when boil add shallots, mushroom and your meat (chicken or shrimp)

season with fish sauce, lime juice crushed chilies and daw coriander.

thant very roughly the way to make the clear version

the other one use also roasted shrimp paste, tamarind paste and milk/coconut milk

volia....

tune in to thaifoodmaster.com, i will soon put upload a bunch of tom yam recipes....

[473geo]

Ooops nearly forgot - add 4 cloves of crushed garlic!!!!.......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Spee]

Gotta have the kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass, sometimes hard to find in the west. Tom yum is awful without them. Tastes like bland water with chiles and shrimp.

[aircut]

473geo....sorry...in authentic version there is no garlic, fried onion nor tomato sauce.... even thought i am sure you enjoy your version, tom yum did not get famous for nothing.... you can easily find the thai way to do the web is full with good tutorials and i posted some rough guidelines above

enjoy

[robbo1]

Tom Yam naam sai is clear and Tom Yam naam kon is not clear

[healthcaretaker]

Thanks for your replies.

So those recipe above don't need any tom yam paste or flavorings, do they ?

Is my Lobo Tom Yam paste good for any use ? Anyone used them ?

[Jingthing]

It's best to make tom yum from scratch with proper herbs and spices. Then if you want to spicy dirty the water you add Nam Prik pao, Thai: น้ำพริกเผา (a commercial bottled product available at most Asian markets in the west as well). The khon version is MILK added usually only with the shrimp version (yeck). Forget prepared tom yum pastes unless you really desperate (double yuck). If you can get the ingredients, tom yum is super easy to cook yourself. I used to do so in the US all the time to save the Thai restaurant cost, but here I just eat it out.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Jingthing

[healthcaretaker]

airct,

It will be better if you can be more specific on how much galanga, kamir leaves and lemomgrass to put for how much soup.

I think those are the 3 main ingredients that control the taste of Tom Yam and a wrong portion may spoil it.

[Jingthing]

Its actually rather hard to spoil the soup if the proportions are changed. Just be sure to put in some of each. Later experiment with adding or deleting some to alter the taste. I like spice it up with chilies. That could ruin it for people who don't love chilies. Other than that using one or two pieces of lemon grass won't likely ruin anything, just change it a bit. Thai cooks just do it by feel not by precise measurements, and frankly you can too. Its kaffir lime leaves btw. Do not used dried ones, they won't work.

[473geo]

Ok I admit it my dish is not authentic......I guess....... Geo yum gai......

But to be accused of putting tomato sauce in any soup dish!!!!!!....

A tip......do not use ripe tomatoes in a dish if you do not want them to sweeten it......use the 'orange' not so ripe......

[AyG]

Translated from a Thai recipe (so I guess authentic). C is cup, T is tablespoon.

20 medium prawns, shelled, but tail left on

4 C water

3 shallots, finely chopped

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised

2 T fish sauce

2 slices galangal

20 small mushroom, halved

6 kaffir lime leaves

3 T lime juice

2-3 chillies

sprig of coriander

2 spring onions, sliced

Boil shallots, lemon grass, fish sauce and galangal in water for 3 minutes.

Add the prawns and mushrooms, and cook until the prawns turn pink.

Add the kaffir lime leaves, lime juice and chillies.

Remove from heat.

Add coriander leaves and spring onion.

Serves 4

The creamy version is, I've been told, made by adding a little condensed milk (not coconut milk).

[Jingthing]

The creamy version is, I've been told, made by adding a little condensed milk (not coconut milk).

Right. Coconut milk is used in the popular soup, tom kha gai, chicken galangal soup, which is not tom yum. Edited March 4, 2010 by Jingthing

[healthcaretaker]

Translated from a Thai recipe (so I guess authentic). C is cup, T is tablespoon.

20 medium prawns, shelled, but tail left on

4 C water

3 shallots, finely chopped

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised

2 T fish sauce

2 slices galangal

20 small mushroom, halved

6 kaffir lime leaves

3 T lime juice

2-3 chillies

sprig of coriander

2 spring onions, sliced

Boil shallots, lemon grass, fish sauce and galangal in water for 3 minutes.

Add the prawns and mushrooms, and cook until the prawns turn pink.

Add the kaffir lime leaves, lime juice and chillies.

Remove from heat.

Add coriander leaves and spring onion.

Serves 4

The creamy version is, I've been told, made by adding a little condensed milk (not coconut milk).

Some experts please help to confirm whether this recipe is good or need improvements

If I replace the prawns with a mix of prawns, squids, and chicken, will all the other ingredients still the same ?

Is tomato not necessary ?

[AyG]

I am an expert, so the recipe is good. No need for improvements. (I just tend to be a little modest on these boards.)

Why would you want to mess up a simple prawn soup with squid and chicken? Keep it simple. Go for simple, clear tastes.

[limeleaves]

Gotta have the kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass, sometimes hard to find in the west. Tom yum is awful without them. Tastes like bland water with chiles and shrimp.

I think it is not hard to find lime leaves (Kaffir lime leaves) if you know where to find them for your Tom Yum soup.

You can find them at kaffirlimeleavesdotcom.

[Svenn]

Thus saith my sao lao: let the tom yum sit around 2 or 3 days before eating for the best flavor.

[aircut]

tom yum goong recipe

http://www.thaifoodmaster.com/recipes/soup_recipes/320

[thaiadd]

Gotta have the kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass, sometimes hard to find in the west. Tom yum is awful without them. Tastes like bland water with chiles and shrimp.

Cookingthis soup is not difficult thing. It's more difficult to get all theingredients like tom yum paste, galangal or lemongrass in your local store. Thai onlineshops could be useful. They send fresh ingredients from Thailand worldwide checkthis http://tomyumrecipe.com