Last Updated on 6th August 2022 by Pauline Loughlin
Tom Yum Noodles Soup is a spicy Thai soup that combines flavours such as chilli peppers, lemongrass and fish sauce to create a rich, fragrant broth that perfectly enhances the noodles and other ingredients.
You can easily tailor your Tom Yum recipe to your personal tastes by going light or heavy on the chilli peppers or chilli paste or using different types of seafood or meats.
This recipe uses shrimp and soba or ramen noodles.
Tom Yum Noodle Soup Recipe
Tom Yum Soup is sometimes referred to as Tom Yam originates from Thailand and is though to have health benefits due to its use of the Kaffir leaf and red chillies.
It is a hot and spicy soup and the name is a a combination of two Thai words meaning 'hot' and 'mixture'.
Ingredients
- 1 package soba noodles, or instant ramen (any flavor, I like pork)
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 4-5 slices fresh galangal
- ½ small tomato, diced
- 6 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage leaves
- 1 ½ tbsp Nam Prik Pao
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
- Handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Bring 1 ¼ cups water to a boil in a small pot. Add ramen seasoning packet, if desired.
- Bruise lemongrass and lime leaves and add to pot along with galangal, tomatoes, shrimp, Napa cabbage and Nam Prik Pao.
- Add about 15-20 cilantro leaves.
- Boil until shrimp is cooked through.
- Remove soup from heat and add fish sauce, chili powder and lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Pour soup over noodles and garnish with more cilantro leaves.
Notes
Cooked meat can be added to the dish and this works really well with fish, pork or chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tom Yum Soup
What is Tom Yum sauce made of?
Tom Yum sauce is made from several ingredients and can be varied according to regional recipes but the most common ingredients are Kaffir leaves, noodles, red chilis, lemon grass, fish sauce and cilantro leaves.
What is the Flavour of Tom Yum?
Tom Yum has a distinctive hot and spicy Thai flavour
Does Tom Yum soup contain coconut milk?
There are variations of Tom Yum soup that contain coconut which adds a richer sweeter flavor. But this is down to personal preference and is not an essential ingredient.
What meat can you add to Tom Yum sauce?
Traditionally Tom Yum soup is made with shrimp but it also works really well with chicken or pork.
I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here