Easy fragrant Thai style seafood soup with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce and a little heat. This lectin free tom yum will excite your taste buds.
Tom yum is a popular Thai seafood soup bursting with flavors of lemongrass, galangal, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce and chilis. Often coconut milk makes for a creamy additional layer of flavor. I also like a little yellow curry in mine. As long as you get the basic flavors right, there is a little room for creativity with this soup.
Usually tom yum features shrimp and sometimes other seafood. I happened to have shrimp and cod at the time I made this, so that's what I used. But I've even made this with just chicken and it's always delicious. The distinct and fragrant combination of flavors dances on the tongue and makes me happy.
One of the signature ingredients of this soup is fish sauce. It may sound gross, but believe me, DON'T LEAVE IT OUT! It smells a little like a shrimp boat out of bottle, but once it simmers, it's delightful. Now, you do have to be careful with fish sauce. Some of the cheap brands you find at the grocery store have a lot of sugar and even MSG. No and No! I use Red Boat because it doesn't have any of that and it tastes superior. Some of the better Asian markets carry it. You can also get it online. Buy two 500ml bottles of Red Boat at a significant discount on Amazon.
Back in the day, I just dropped a Tom Yum Cube in water for instant and perfectly flavored broth. But that little tom yum bouillon cube contains sugar, bad palm oil, MSG and dried chili flakes. No, no, no and no! It's just as easy to make your tom yum broth lectin free from scratch, and it's way better for you. Ready to get started? Let's go!
The Recipe
LFG Coconut Tom Yum Broth
1 T Organic Coconut Oil
1 T Minced Lemongrass
1 T Minced Galangal (or Ginger)
1 T Minced Garlic
1 t Salt
1 T Sriracha
1 t Yellow Curry (optional)
1 C Grated Carrots
1 C Sliced Red Onion
4 C Bone Broth or Vegetable Broth
(1) 13.5 oz Can Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 Limes
Drop Ins
(1) 4 oz Wild Caught Cod Filet cubed (or other seafood)
16 Jumbo Wild Caught Shrimp
Prepared Purple Sweet Potato Glass Noodles (get them at the Asian market)
2 Green Onions sliced with tops
Bunch Cilantro
2 Limes (1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges for garnish)
Step 1: Make Broth
In a Dutch oven or stock pot, melt coconut oil on medium heat. Add minced lemongrass, garlic, galangal (or ginger), and cook for about one minute until soaked with oil and beginning to sizzle. Add salt, fish sauce, sriracha, curry (optional), grated carrots, and red onions. Cook for two minutes until bright in color. Add broth and coconut milk. Simmer for 30 minutes to infuse flavors. Remove from heat and squeeze in the juice of one lime.
Step 2: Prepare Drop Ins
While the broth is simmering, prepare your drop ins. Steam or saute the seafood for about three minutes. Prepare about 1/4 of the package of purple sweet potato glass noodles by dropping in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes or until al dente and glassy. Cut the second lime into wedges. Wash the cilantro. And slice the green onions.
Step 3: Serve it Up
Ladle the broth into soup plates or bowls. Drop in some noodles and seafood. Top with cilantro and green onions. Serve with a lime wedge so your guests can add more lime juice to taste.
Slurp to your heart's content!