Tom Yum Soup is a popular Thai soup that has a distinctive flavor with a great mix of all tastes, is super easy to make and very healthy! Fall and winter are great seasons to include soups in your diet and this one makes for a delicious treat. So, let’s dive right in to the recipe!
Ingredients (serves 4):
- Water (5-6 cups)
- For the broth:
- Lemon grass stalks (2 medium sized ones)
- Ginger strips (1 tsp)
- Garlic strips (1/2 tsp)
- Lemon juice (liberal amounts until the sourness comes through)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black pepper powder (to taste)
- Red chili flakes (to taste)
- Sugar (1 tsp)
- Diced vegetables:
- Carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, beans
- Noodles (optional – any kind that your family enjoys)
- Tofu (optional)
Method:
For the broth:
- Add lemon grass strips, ginger and garlic strips to the water. Bring it to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the flame to medium after a rolling boil is reached and add salt, sugar, pepper and chili flakes.
- Switch off the flame after 10 minutes.
- Add liberal amounts of lemon juice and adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice, so that the end result is tangy and spicy, with hints of sweetness.
- Strain and keep the broth aside.
Assembly:
- Add chopped vegetables into the broth, which is again brought to a medium boil. I suggest that you add the vegetables so that the one that takes the most amount of time gets added first. So, my order for the vegetables I used was beans, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes and spinach. The vegetables can retain a bit of crunch or can be well cooked, depending on your preference.
- Optionally, you can boil the noodles separately and add them into the broth at the end. The same goes for the tofu as well.
- Serve hot.
Tastes (Rasa):
Sweet (sugar, carrots, beans), sour (lemon juice, tomatoes, lemon grass), salty (salt), bitter (lemon grass, spinach), pungent (ginger, garlic, pepper, chili), astringent (spinach).
Doshic Influence:
This is a great soup for balancing aggravated kapha – light, pungent, digestive and sharp, it has all the qualities to clear congestion, help with hay fever like symptoms and also fever associated with a cold/cough. It can be pitta aggravating due to pungent, sharp ingredients like chili, ginger, garlic and pepper. Go easy on those to make it suitable for pittas and to indulge in moderation during summer. Tom yum soup is great for the digestion because of the digestive herbs and spices used like lemon grass, ginger and pepper. It is good for vatas as well.
Effects on the Mind (Gunas):
This soup may be considered a slightly rajasic recipe because of its stimulating ingredients and nature.