Tom Yum Gai - thai soup rich in umami

I'm fond of soups and this one is no exception. Since I make chicken stock fairly often, and not always know what I'm going to cook, I omit thyme and other aromatic herbs used in european stocks. The recipe below is based on the chicken stock I've posted here.

Now lets make a Tom Yum Gai, rich in synergic umami tastes.  

Tom Yum simply means "hot and spicy" and denotes a soup, the signature dish from Thailand par excellence. Tom Yum Gai is a chicken soup, but there are many variations of this soup, Tom Yam Goong is a classic prawn soup.

The first time I made this soup, I lacked both galangal, kaffir lime leaves and Thai chili paste, but nevertheless it turned out a delicious soup. The point is, as I have since experienced, to ensure balance between the spicy, sour and salty tastes in the soup, with a little sweetness and some herbs with slightly bitter notes added. Moreover, one must ensure umami from stock, fish sauce, mushrooms and tomatoes. 

I’ve discovered that the balance of primary tastes is more important than one single ingredient as long as I have good homemade chicken stock as a foundation. I’ve made lots of variations of this soup where lemon substitute lime, I’ve used parsley instead of cilantro, ginger instead of galangal, and red curry paste instead of  chili paste. If I don’t have  kaffir lime leaves, I use zest from half a lime.

And I always use good homemade chicken stock, lemon grass, fish sauce and some mushrooms. This soup is healthy, surprisingly hearty, almost fat-free, and it spreads promising scents around the kitchen. I love that!

Ingredients for 3 servings:

For the soup stock:

1 liter (2quarts) chicken stock (synergic umami)

1 stalk lemon grass, cut into quarters and knocked lightly so the fibers tear.

2-3 cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic crushed

2-3 kaffer lime leaves 

2 tablespoons fish sauce (free glutamate)

1tbs red curry paste or chili paste. (Red curry contains both a little fish sauce and shrimp paste, both rich in umami)

1 teaspoon sugar

The important umami rich ingredients to add

300g/ 10 oz chicken meat, breast or thighs

60g/2 oz fungi, preferably fresh shiitake or enoki mushrooms in thin slices

4 cherry tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges, or 1 tomato in small cubes

Other ingredients to provide great taste

½ - 1 tbsp peanut oil or a neutral oil with high smoking point. 

1 small onion or 2 shalotts, finely sliced

2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced

1 fresh red chili, finely chopped 

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

juice of 1 lime.

METHOD

Heat the stock with the ingredients for the soup stock mentioned above and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain.

Prepare the garnish for the soup.  If you have raw chicken meat, cut  into fine strips and fry in oil for one minute, then lower the temperature, add onions and chili and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes.  If you use cooked chicken meat, add it to the soup a few minutes before serving.

Add onions and the chili to the strained soup stock. Bring to a boil.

Add the mushrooms and the tomato wedges. Boil further till you see the mushrooms slices  are cooked through and the tomatoes are still holding their shape. Add the lime juice.

Taste.  Is there balance between the basic tastes? Is the soup salty enough, sour enough, strong enough and with a little sweetness? Can you feel the taste of umami filling your mouth?  In order to identify the basic taste properly, close your nostrils between your thumb and index finger. Now it is easier to identify the basic tastes. Adjust taste to your liking with a little more fish sauce, red curry and limejuice. 

Serve in deep soup bowles with a sprinkling of cilantro and lime wedges 
Enjoy!

COMMENTS ON THIS RECIPE

Other garnish? Yes, of course, use whatever you have in the fridge. You can add leek, chinese cabbage or various herbs.

You can also use this recipe to make a soup with fish, seafood and/or prawns
 The soup can also be served with cooked rice or noodles