Clear Tom Yum Fish Soup - Tom Som Pla
Tangy, spicy, and super easy to make - this Thai Clear Tom Yum Fish Soup is super fragrant and appetising.
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Pestle and Mortar
- Stockpot/ Deep Pan
- Soup Ladle
Ingredients
- 800 ml chicken stock, or water
Marinate
- 260 g fish
- 1/4 tbsp salt
Herbs to Toast
- 50 g shallots, peeled, washed, lightly crushed
- 25 birds eye chillies, mixed red and green, cut vertically
- 30 g young galangal, sliced thinly
- 45 g garlic, peeled, washed, lightly crushed
- 2 stalk lemongrass, cut to 3 inches and smashed
- 3 cilantro roots, lightly crushed
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn into halves
Seasonings
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
Vegetables
- 1 tomato, cut to wedges
- 80 g oyster mushrooms, fresh
- 100 g shimeji mushrooms, white, or brown
- 80 g cherry tomatoes
- 10 g spring onions, chopped
- 3 stalks parsley, chopped
- 30 g basil leaves, sweet, or holy
- 6 deep-fried chillies, crushed
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients.
- Marinate the fish evenly on both sides with 1/4 tbsp of salt. Set it aside.
- Place a pot on the stove over medium-low heat.
- Add all the herbs to toast - shallots, bird's eye chillies, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro roots, kaffir lime leaves. Toast them for about 3 minutes, or until super fragrant and lightly charred. Make sure to stir often to toast them all evenly.
- Pour in the chicken stock, or water. Stir lightly before adding the tomato wedges, and the seasonings: salt, sugar and fish sauce. Give it all a stir to evenly distribute the seasonings. Cover the pot and let it come to a rolling boil, for about 2 minutes.
- Open the lid, and gently add the marinated fish. Do not stir the soup once the fish is added. Then, wash and add the oyster and shimeji mushrooms. Add the cherry tomatoes. Close the lid, and let them boil vigorously for another 2 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked.
- Open the lid, and gently stir the soup. It should be very fragrant by now. Taste and adjust as preferred. Switch off the heat.
- Add the chopped spring onions, parsley, and basil leaves. Gently submerge them into the soup, stirring lightly.
- Break the fried chillies and sprinkle them all around the soup. Pour the lime juice. Stir gently to mix it all together.
- Serve with some white rice, or on its own!
Notes
Tips
- Any white-fleshed fish can be used, in any form. I used fish fillets for the ease of demonstrating this recipe.
- Using young galangal is highly recommended, as they can be easily consumed and enjoyed since they are not as fibrous as the old galangal. However, if using old galangal, avoid consuming them as they will be too tough to eat.
- Once the herbs have been prepared, the making of the soup is super easy!
- Toasting the herbs caramelizes them, and makes the soup super fragrant.
- Homemade chicken stock is used for a rich soup. However, plain water is traditionally used instead.
- Avoid stirring the soup as the fish is cooking - this prevents the fishy water from escaping into the soup, which in turn, prevents the soup from becoming fishy in smell and taste.
- Switching off the heat before adding the leafy greens slows down the rate of their wilting; however, make sure to submerge them fully so they cook as other herbs are added.
- Do not add lime juice while the fire is still on. When in contact with heat, the lime juice turns bitter. Make sure to add lime juice as the last step.
- Serve with rice, or on its own!
- The nutritional information does not include the serving of rice, and assumes that all the herbs are consumed (which is not necessary).
- Make sure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Nutrition
Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 20gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 1183mgPotassium: 610mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 62IUVitamin C: 312mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg
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