Tom yum is a family of hot and sour soups from the central plains of Thailand, and the shrimp version, tom yum goong, is the one the world knows best. Tom means boiled; yum describes the tangle of sour, salty, spicy flavors that comes from mixing. In December 2024 UNESCO inscribed tom yum kung on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the first Thai dish to be so honored, which is an impressive career for a soup that takes half an hour.

The broth is built from three aromatics, lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves, which are bruised and simmered to flavor the liquid and then politely left in the bowl. A spoonful of roasted chili paste gives it a reddish gloss and a rounder heat, and the lime goes in last, off the heat, so it stays bright. It is the kind of soup that clears your head before a long afternoon of watching other people concentrate.

The shrimp stock

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) large shrimp, shells on
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) water

The soup

Ingredients

• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 1 piece, 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) galangal
• 6 makrut lime leaves
• 4 to 8 bird's eye chilies
• 7 oz (200 g) straw or oyster mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons nam prik pao (Thai roasted chili paste)
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
• 1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves

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