Try this delicious version of the Tom Yum soup with coconut milk. It not only adds flavour to the soup but also thickens it slightly so it can be enjoyed with rice or noodles like the Thais do. The one thing that I do not like to do while enjoying this dish is to keep pulling out lemon grass or lime leaves  from my mouth that can’t be chewed. So I have a trick.  Follow the recipe to know more 🙂

Ingredients:

1. 3 stocks or lemon grass
2. 6-7 Makrut lime leaves
3. Galangal root 1-2 inch  long.
4. Red Chillies 1 -2 bird eye (depending on how hot one wants)
5. Coconut milk 200 ml
6. Thai Chilli paste 1 table spoon
7. Lemon juice 1 table spoon
8. Salt to taste, Sugar to taste
9. Protein ( shrimp / chicken/ fried Tofu )
10. Mixed vegetables ( broccoli florets / baby corn/ carrots/mushroom, cherry tomato )
11. Green onions and green coriander for garnishing
12. Cubes of tom tum soup – 2 

Method:

1. Place chopped lemon grass and galangal root in a deep cooking pot along with 3 glasses of water and bring it to boil. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to sit while other preparations are being done.
2. Strain the water. Save the water, throw the lemongrass/ galangal. 
3. Take this water again in the deep pot, add the birds eye chilli, red chilli paste, and 2 cubes of soup broth. Bring this to a boil, add the protein, mushrooms, baby corn, lime leaves and carrots. 
4. Once this gets cooked in about 5 mins add the coconut milk, slit cherry tomatoes and broccoli. Turn the flame off at this stage.
5. Lastly add the lemon juice, salt and sugar to make it the perfect Umami flavour. Soup cubes have some salt and the Thai chilli paste has some sugar in it. Taste check to adjust the flavours. 
6. Garnish with chopped green onions and green coriander leaves. Serve hot with Thai jasmine rice or Rice noodles.

Tips:

1. Do not use bell peppers, sweet corn or egg plant in tom yum soup. That changes the flavours totally and is not used in traditional tom yum soup.
2. You can substitute broccoli with cauliflower florets though.
3. If the coriander you have is not very fresh, Use the washed stem area and boil it along with lemon grass in the beginning.