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My cooking tips
for the famous Thai
peasant dish
Tom Yam Kung
 Pointers
 Prawns
- If you can purchase them, substitute small prawns (with claws) for the shrimp.
They are generally more flavorful.
Heads
attached
- Try to purchase the crustaceans with their heads still attached. Boil the
flavor-giving heads along with the shells in step 3.
Nam
pla
- The best of the widely available substitutes for nam pla is patis, a
Philippine fish sauce.
Lemon
grass
- There is no recommendable substitute for lemon grass. Some recipes call for
lemon or lime juice, but without the unique flavor of lemon grass, the soup
substantially changes character.
Handling
chilies - Do not touch your eyes when you are slicing the chilies. As soon
as you complete the cutting task, thoroughly wash your hands and the work
surface.
Don't
overcook
- Shrimp cook quickly. Remember, they can irrevocably toughen as a result of
cooking them for an extra minute or two.
Serving
Suggestions
Menu
- Serve tom yam kung as a separate fish course or, as the Thais do, as part of a
single course comprising a number of other dishes including plain rice.
Beverage
- Don't accompany tom yam kung with a beverage if you serve the soup as a
separate course.
Variations
Shells
- Sauté the shells in a little oil before adding them to the boiling water in
step 2.
Stock
- Prepare tom yam kung with an unseasoned stock made from fish, chicken, or pork
bones.
Chicken
- Substitute it for the shrimp. (In this case, use an unseasoned chicken stock.)
Garnishes
- Popular ones include thinly sliced mushrooms.
Lemon
Grass
- Some cooks serve the soup with the shredded lemon grass. This garnish should
not be eaten, however, because the shreds are extremely fibrous.
tom yam kung
 
 
 
 
 
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tom
yam kung
