Hot and Sour Thai Soup Sings of the Tropics

9 January 2008 by Jean Johnson

This takes me back to Bangkok where I watched the gracious Daeng Arporn Punlert make tom yam goong, or hot and sour shrimp soup, many times. Here’s what I wrote down one day while she was in action:

Hot and Sour Thai Soup

Recipe Note (Cooking Beyond Measure, p. 92)

Boil the shells from your prawns in a pot of water and strain. Add garlic, lemon grass, woody ginger, red onion and keep the boil going. Then tomatoes and mushrooms, not backing off from the high heat.

After 10 minutes or so cut the heat and put your shrimp in with some Thai chile paste and lime leaf. Just before serving add a chop of fresh coriander and lime juice. And yes, you sort of pick your way through the pieces of lemon grass, woody ginger and lime leaf as you eat. It’s half the fun.

There’s an Asian grocery close to me, so I can find the exotics. But if you aren’t inclined to search out those things, you’ll still get a wonderful hot and sour broth from the chile paste and lemon juice.

Postscript on Tomatoes: Clearly we’re not in fresh tomato season–unless you’re like friends near Flagstaff, Arizona who have a greenhouse and are in the middle of harvesting their tomatoes and basil at the moment.

I used tomatoes that I froze last September for this batch, but had I not had any you can be sure that just like the practical Thais do, I would have turned to whatever was on hand.

Cabbage, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauli–anything would be great. After all, it’s the lemon juice and fresh coriander and chile paste–not to mention the pink on pink shrimp–that has people around the globe swooning over tom yam goong.

Thanks Daeng! …here she is with her Thai smile, dishing up some sticky rice.

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  1. 5 Responses to “Hot and Sour Thai Soup Sings of the Tropics”

  2. Jean,

    I so enjoy your writings:

    In Putting Up…the tomatoes have moved past a polite few soldiers ripening on the windowsill to hoards of red plumpers maurauding in the kitchen…!!!

    Summer Sweet…fresh herbs are the bees knees!!!

    drizzling olive oil (I can see it!); splash of vinegar (It’s wet!)

    Pestle…good stress reliever, probably easier than plucking chickens…ha ha ha

    Fresh Tomatoes – those phony pick imposters…I almost feel subversive…

    Keep it up it’s so good! Informative, creative, resourceful, great pics, humorous! You go, girl!

    By Denise on Jan 9, 2008

  3. Denise sent this to me privately last August but I waited until now that Chad got the website looking so pretty to post it. JBJ

    By The Cook on Jan 9, 2008

  4. Jean,
    I made your Hot and Sour Thai soup last night, and it turned out very good. I added some rice noodles and had a nice dinner. Thank you for sharing your talent, creativity, and knowledge.

    By Argelis on Jan 14, 2008

  5. This soup looks and sounds delicious! And what an altogether enticing website.

    By Linera on Jan 15, 2008

  6. Here’s a message I got from friend, Chris:

    In your hot and sour soup recipe, you mention ‘woody ginger.’ Could this actually mean galangal (actually, ‘greater galangal,’ aka ‘kah,’ ‘Simaese ginger,’ and ‘laos’)?

    Here’s what I wrote back:
    Daeng called it woody ginger but I’ll put your comment on the blog. You’re probably right for the Anglo world at least. Maybe I can get Sandy or someone else to comment on where the name of woody ginger comes from. It might be a good conversation.

    By The Cook on Jan 20, 2008

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