Tom Yum Talay (Seafood) Soup

Tom Yum or Tom Yam is a popular Thai soup with a pungent and zesty flavors of spicy and sour. There are many version and some of the popular tom yum are:
Tom Yum Goong/Kung (Thai for prawn) - made with prawns as main ingredient
Tom Yum Gai/Kai (Thai for chicken) - the chicken version of the soup
Tom Yum Talay (Thai for sea) - a variant of the soup with mixed seafood
Tom Yum Nam Khon is made with prawns, coconut milk and toasted dired chillies

The authentic broth are made of fish sauce, galagal, shallots, lemon grass, lime leaves, lime juice, chillies and straw mushroom and prawns are its major ingredient. You can always substitute with chicken or add in fish & squid to make seafood tom yum.

Today we are whipping clear Tom Yum Talay with fragrant herbs. I will suggest you add the lime juice and chilli bit by bit to suit your taste.

Recipe: Tom Yum Goong
Serves: 2 - 3 pax

Ingredients:
• 3 cups (225ml) of water

• 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlics (minced)
• 3 shallots (thinly sliced)
• 1 small galangal, about 1 inch by 1 inch chunk (sliced)
• 2 stalks lemongrass (first layer of skin peeled, sliced on a bias in 2-inch pieces, and head slightly crushed to release aroma)
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 4-8 birds-eye chillies (thinly sliced)

• 10 medium prawns (can substitute with chicken) (shelled and devein prawns)
• 220gm slice fish (optional)
• 2 small whole squid (optional) (cleaned and sliced)
• 2 tomatoes (quartered)
• 150g straw mushrooms (halved, if yours is whole)
• 2 tsp fish sauce (add a few more squirts if not salty enough)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 key limes (juiced)

• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method:
1. Bring water to boil in a saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and saute the garlic, shallots, galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves, and chillies for 3 minuets over medium heat.

3. Pour the spicy mixture from the pan into the boiling water and simmer for about 15 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.

4. Add in the tomatoes and 2 tsp of fish sauce, stir well simmer for 5 minutes. Add more fish sauce if needed.

5. Add in the straw mushroom, 1 tsp of sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Add seafood and simmer for another 5 minutes.

7. Off the fire and add in the lime juice to taste.

8. Ladder soup into bowl and garnish with some fresh coriander.

Tips:
- you should have an equal balance of spicy, salty, and sour.
- add the lime juice only when you off the fire (best to remove pot from heat) to prevent the lime juice turning bitter

This supremely hot and sour soup is ideal to go with white rice and Thai Basil Chicken.