Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Chicken and Prawns | ต้มยำน้ำใส

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Creamy Tom Yum Soup made with Chicken and Prawns. This is the creamy version or Tom Yum Nam Kon (ต้มยำน้ำข้น) . It is made luxuriously creamy by adding Carnation Evaporated Milk.

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information on the different Thai soups, related links as well as Recipe Video. If you’d like to check it out.

♦Prep time: 15 min ♦Cook time: 15 min ♦Yield: 5-6

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Gently bruise the white portion of lemongrass stalks, by pounding on them ( without breaking up the stalks).  Remove the thicker outer layers to reveal the tender stalk portion. Cut into 3-inch pieces on a diagonal.  Remove the midvein section of the kaffir lime leaves, thereby tearing each leaf into 2 pieces.  This is to help release more aromatics and flavour from the lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves.
2. Slice the galangal into thin slices of 1-2 inches in length.
3. Add 6 cups of water to a pot and add the prepared aromatics for the soup stock ( lemongrass, galangal and 3 of the 4 kaffir lime leaves), along with the chicken stock cube. Bring to a boil and simmer for a while.
4. Meanwhile, add the peeled shallots to a grinder jar along with the long red chilli and the remaining Kaffir Lime leaf.
5. Grind to a smooth paste, without adding water. Set aside.
6. On a separate burner, heat oil(4Tbsp) in a non-stick wok. Add the freshly-ground paste.  Stir till it gets, nice and aromatic.
7. Also, add 1/2 tsp of the dried red chilli paste and stir this in. Stir till the oil somewhat separates and it’s nice and fragrant.
8. Now add the chicken pieces. Coat the chicken with the paste and stir-fry them till the pieces are no longer pink. Use kitchen scissors to cut any of the larger chunks of chicken at this stage. They should all be small bite-size pieces.
9. Next, add the butterflied prawns and turn up the heat. Toss till the prawns turn pink, and are coated in the spice paste also.
10. Bring the simmering broth and pour it into the wok now. No need to strain the aromatics – keep them.
11. Once the soup comes to a simmer again, add more of the dried chilli paste, to taste and for colour – up to 2 tsp.
12. Also, add tamarind solution(3 tsp). Less if it is very concentrated like a paste.
13. Also, the fish sauce and/or salt to suit your taste. Although Thai fish sauce is used traditionally, not everyone likes the pungent smell of the fish sauce in their soup. I add half a tsp for the authentic aroma and add salt along with it.
14. Add light brown sugar (1/2 tsp)to balance the overall taste.
15. Simmer the soup on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes, till the prawns are just cooked.
16. You can add any optional vegetables also. I like to add about 1 cup of crab mushrooms while simmering.
17. Once simmered for a while, add the carnation evaporated milk(1/4-1/2 cup) and the whole green and red small chillies.
18. Bring to a simmer one last time. At the very end, add lime juice to taste. Taste as you go. Add more salt if needed. Lastly, add the chopped fresh coriander and a bit more evaporated milk if needed.
19. Delicious, simple and satisfying Creamy Tom Yum Soup  – Tom Yum Nam Kon (ต้มยำน้ำใส) is ready!
20. If the soup needs to sit for a while, after taste assessments, you can remove the lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves, and whole green and red chillies. This is so that none of these overpowers the soup, by being left in the soup too long. However, if served soon, you do not need to do so.
21. Creamy Tom yum soup is often served alongside steamed white rice. It is even poured over rice at times, instead of adding curry.

with White ‘Crab Mushrooms’ or ‘Shimeji’ 

Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Chicken and Prawns | ต้มยำน้ำใส

Notes:

• Another version of Thai soup is called  ‘Tom Kha’ or ‘Tom Kha Gai’ and uses coconut milk in the stock, making it richer and creamier.
• You can use either store-bought or homemade, dried red chilli paste. Dried red chilli paste is made by soaking dried red chillies in hot water till plump and soft, and then grinding the soaked chillies to a smooth paste. You can check out my video on How to make dried red chilli paste at home. Here’s a video on how to make it.
• I find that although the larger chilli and dried chilli is used, the main heat comes from those fresh..birds eye chillies added  at the end. You can choose to skip that if you cant take the spicy kick.
• When grinding together the shallots, red chilli make sure you make as smooth a paste as possible.
• Usually, for tom yum soup, the tails are kept on the prawns for presentation purposes. Here since we are also adding chicken,  I prefer to remove the tails for easier eating. Sometimes the prawn head is also kept intact after trimming.
• Always taste as you go when making the hot and sour soup, to balance the flavours of hot, sour and sweetness correctly to your personal preference. You can always add more chilli paste, more tamarind solution, more sugar , more fish sauce or more evaporated milk to your taste.
• Galangal is a rhizome similar to ginger, It has a mustardy scent and flavour. Ginger doesn’t really work the same in this recipe, as galangal is one of the key flavouring ingredients to authentic Thai soup, along with the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Of course, you could substitute it all, but you will not end up with authentic Thai flavour.

Key Ingredients: Prawns, Chicken Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Galangal,  Shallots, Fresh Red Chillies, Dried chilli paste, Evaporated Milk, Hot chillies to garnish, Tamarind, Lime, Fish Sauce, Coriander leaves, Sugar, Salt.

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