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© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA
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This simple soup cooks in one pot in less than 30 minutes.
 | The picture to the left is Tom Yum Talek at a restaurant in Thailand. You can see the meaty chunks of squid, fish, crab, and mussels. This particular version of Tom Yum Taleh was made with nam prik pao (as are most of the Tom Yum dishes in Thailand) to give it a kick. You can see the tiny droplets of roasted chile oil floating on top of the soup. Oh! To the left, you can see a scored fish ball (fish meatball). That soup was good! -clay |
3 cups water
1 or 2 pieces fresh lemon grass, tough tops cut off, cut into 3 inch lengths
3 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of the cleaver
2 teaspoon of sea salt (only!)
2 small whole squid (optional), cleaned and sliced crosswise into ½ inch rings
¾ to 1 pound dark, oily flesh fish such as mackerel, cleaned and cut into 3 inch long pieces (including bones and head if you like)
¼ pound small to medium-sized shrimp, heads and shell removed, tail intact
2 or 3 limes, juiced
3 or 4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
4 or more fresh prik ki nu
nam pla
fresh tomato, sliced lengthwise into 6 pieces
Bring water, lemon grass, garlic, and sea salt to a boil for 4 minutes. There should be just enough water to cover the seafood once it is all added, by about 1 inch. Add squid and fish. Boil another 2 minutes. Add shrimps. Add juice of 2 limes, kaffir lime leaf, chilies. Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce if needed. Add tomato. Turn off heat. Serve with large soup spoons and jasmine rice.
Note:
You can buy frozen whole mackerel and whole squid in markets catering to Asians, if you cannot find it fresh. Fresh shrimp are wonderful if you are fortunate enough to have a source!