Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp

Thai Spicy Coconut Soup with Shrimp

12-15 shrimp (31-40 ct. bag)

1/2 green pepper

Red pepper flakes or sriracha hot sauce

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 cans coconut milk

2 cloves of garlic

Fresh ginger

Lemongrass

Cilantro

I love Thai food. And I love seafood. Tom Yum soup is among one of my favorite soups that I get when I go out to eat Thai food, and I was fortunate enough to have aced it the first time I made it (two years ago). 

For the shrimp: I like using 31-40 ct. frozen shrimp because the size is perfect. I like them with the tail on because they are easy to peel off once cooked thoroughly. Boil them separately and bring to room temperature. Once at room temperature, you can easily take the tail off. Get them deveined- it will save you a ton of trouble!

The soup base: In a pot, add 1.5-2 cans of coconut milk and 1-2 cups of water and simmer. I don't like mine too sweet, so I tend to go for 2 cups of water. Add 2 Tbsp. of Asian fish sauce. Please take into consideration that it's quite salty, so you may need to add more water after this. Chop your garlic and add to the mixture. Then add some freshly grated ginger- and add this to taste. I love ginger, so I can never get too much of it. The most important part comes next- lemongrass. Yes, lemongrass. It gives it a tangy, citrus flavor that makes the soup really come together. I use almost an entire tube of organic lemongrass paste that you can find in the produce section of most supermarkets. Keep stirring and make sure all is mixed well. Add 1/2 diced green pepper- I prefer organic ones, of course. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat- this ensures all flavors have been mixed well but that it isn't too hot to add the shrimp. 

Add the shrimp. You can add sriracha sauce to flavor, but since fish sauce is already salty, I prefer red pepper flakes. Top off with fresh cilantro, but once soup is no longer boiling- you don't want brown, mushy cilantro. Enjoy!