Alternative names Tom yam Serving temperature Hot | ||
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Main ingredients Similar Tom kha kai, Pad Thai, Kuy teav, Hot and sour soup, Galangal | ||
Tom yum or tom yam ( /ˌtɒm ˈjæm/ or /ˌtɒm ˈjʌm/; /ˌtɑːm ˈjɑːm/; Thai: ต้มยำ, rtgs: tom yam, [tôm jām]) is a type of hot and sour Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp. Tom yum is widely served in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos and has been popularised around the world.
Contents
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".
Tom yum goong recipe hot thai kitchen
Origin
Tom yum originated in Thailand.
Selected types
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. 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.