Tom Yum Goong, Creamy Thai Shrimp Soup (36g Protein)

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Tom yum goong is the fastest route I know to a soup that eats like a full meal, and this version lands at 36g of protein per bowl. Most restaurant bowls give you five or six shrimp drifting in broth. Mine uses a pound and a half so every serving pulls its weight.

This is the creamy style, tom yum nam khon, finished with a splash of evaporated milk. If you prefer the clear version, leave the milk out and change nothing else.

The whole pot takes about 40 minutes, and a chunk of that is the broth simmering while you prep everything else.

Why this works

Two things. First, the shrimp shells simmer in the stock for ten minutes before anything else happens. That is where most of the shrimp flavor lives, and binning them is like binning half your shrimp. Second, the lime juice goes in off the heat. Boiled lime juice turns flat and faintly bitter. Added at the end, it stays sharp and bright, which is the entire point of tom yum.

Ingredient notes

Nam prik pao is Thai roasted chili paste in soybean oil, sweet and smoky rather than purely hot. Pantai and Maepranom are the common brands at Asian grocers and online. There is no perfect substitute, but a tablespoon of mild chili crisp plus a teaspoon of sugar gets you close enough for a weeknight.

Galangal beats ginger here if you can find it. It is sharper and more citrusy, and most Asian markets sell it frozen, which works fine. Ginger will still make a good soup, just a slightly different one.

Makrut lime leaves keep for months in the freezer, so buy a bag once and stop worrying about it. Tear them before they go in, whole leaves release very little.

Evaporated milk, not coconut milk, is what Thai cooks use for the creamy version. It rounds off the acid without turning the soup into a curry.

Tom Yum Goong (Creamy Thai Shrimp Soup)

Creamy Thai hot and sour shrimp soup with 36g of protein per serving. A shell-fortified broth, plenty of shrimp, and lime juice added off the heat.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 260

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined, shells reserved (680g)
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 3 stalks lemongrass bruised and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 8 slices galangal or ginger in a pinch
• 6 makrut lime leaves torn in half
• 3 bird's eye chilies lightly smashed, use up to 6 if you like it hot
• 3 tbsp Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) Pantai or Maepranom brand
• 8 oz oyster mushrooms torn into bite size pieces (225g)
• 2 roma tomatoes cut into wedges
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 0.5 cup evaporated milk skip for the clear version
• 4 tbsp lime juice from 2 to 3 limes, added off the heat
• 1 handful cilantro roughly chopped, to finish

Method

 

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, keeping every shell. Put the shells in a pot with the stock, bring to a simmer, and let them cook for 10 minutes. Strain out the shells and return the stock to the pot.
2. Add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chilies to the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes so the aromatics open up.
3. Stir in the nam prik pao until it dissolves, then add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
4. Drop in the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they turn pink and curl into a loose C shape. A tight curl means overcooked.
5. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar and evaporated milk, then the lime juice. Taste and adjust: more fish sauce for salt, more lime for sour.
6. Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro, and serve. The lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves stay in the pot for flavor but are not meant to be eaten.

Tips and storage

Shrimp are the one thing in this pot that punish reheating. If you are cooking ahead, make the broth through step 3, keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days, and poach fresh shrimp in it the day you eat. The finished soup still keeps 2 days chilled, just reheat it gently below a boil so the shrimp stay tender. The broth without shrimp or milk freezes well for 2 months.

If shrimp is your protein of choice this week, my kung pao shrimp runs on the same 20 minute clock, and the high protein shrimp pad thai covers the noodle craving. For another soup that carries a full day of meal prep, the weeknight chicken pho is the one I make most.