Tom yum

Tom yum

Tom yam kung as served in Bangkok, Thailand
Alternative names	Tom yam
Type	Soup
Place of origin	Laos and Central Thailand[1]
Associated national cuisine	Thai
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	stock, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers
Cookbook: Tom yum  Media: Tom yum

Tom yum, rtgs: tom yam, Thai: ต้มยำ,  [tôm.jām]) is a Lao and Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp.^[2] Tom yum is widely served in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, and has been popularised around the world.

The words "tom yam" are derived from two Thai words. "Tom" refers to the boiling process, while "yam" refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. Indeed, tom yum is characterised by its distinct hot and sour flavours, with fragrant spices and herbs generously used in the broth. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed chili peppers.

Commercial tom yum paste is made by crushing all the herb ingredients and stir frying in oil. Seasoning and other preservative ingredients are then added. The paste is bottled or packaged and sold around the world. Tom yum flavored with the paste may have different characteristics from that made with fresh herb ingredients. The soup often includes meats such as chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp.

The 1997 Financial Crisis in Asia, which started in Thailand, is sometimes referred to as the "Tom Yam Kung Crisis".^[3]

Origin

Tom yum originated in Laos and Thailand.^[1]

Selected types

Tom yam kung maphrao on nam khon, as served in Uttaradit, Thailand

Ready-to-use bundles of lemon grass, galangal, lime leaves, and, for chicken tom yum, also turmeric, are sold at Thai markets

• Tom yum goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง) or tom yam kung, the version of the dish most popular among tourists, is made with prawns as the main ingredient.^[4] The dish originated during the Rattanakosin Kingdom.^[5]
• Tom yam pla (Thai: ต้มยำปลา) is a clear fish soup that was traditionally eaten with rice. It used to be the most widespread form of tom yam before mass-tourism came to Thailand, for fresh fish is readily available almost everywhere in the region's rivers, canals and lakes as well as in the sea. Usually fish with firm flesh that doesn't crumble after boiling is preferred for this type of soup.^[6]
• Tom yum gai (Thai: ต้มยำไก่) or tom yam kai is the chicken version of the soup.^[7]
• Tom yum po taek (Thai: ต้มยำโป๊ะแตก) or tom yam thale (Thai: ต้มยำทะเล) is a variant of the soup with mixed seafood, like prawns, squid, clams and pieces of fish.^[8]
• Tom yam nam khon (Thai: ต้มยำน้ำข้น) is a more recent variation. Almost always made with prawns as a main ingredient, a little milk^[9] or coconut milk^[10] is added to the broth as a finishing touch, and then balanced with some toasted dried chillies. This adaptation is not to be confused with tom kha gai ("chicken galanga soup"), where galanga is the dominant flavour of the coconut milk-based soup.
• Tom yam kung maphrao on nam khon (Thai: ต้มยำมะพร้าวอ่อนน้ำข้น), a version of prawn tom yum with the meat of a young coconut and a dash of (coconut) milk.
• Tom yam kha mu (Thai: ต้มยำขาหมู), made with pork leg. These require a long cooking time under low fire.^[11]

In the modern popularized versions the soup contains also mushrooms - usually straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Sometimes Thai chili jam (nam phrik phao, Thai: น้ำพริกเผา) is added: this gives the soup a bright orange color and makes the chili flavor more pronounced.

Other sour and spicy soups

Less well-known outside Thailand is tom khlong (ต้มโคล้ง), a spicy sour soup where the sourness, however, does not derive from lime juice but through the use of tamarind.^[12] Tom som (Thai: ต้มส้ม) are soups that are also very similar to tom yum but most often do not contain lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves. Depending on the type of tom som, the acidity can be derived from lime juice or from the use of tamarind.^[13][14]

See also

• Tom kha
• Thai cuisine
• List of soups
• List of Thai ingredients

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom yam.

• Cuisine of Thailand at DMOZ