Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot and Sour Chicken Soup) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between tom yum soup and hot and sour soup? ›

Thai hot & sour soup, also called Tom Yum, is a salty, sweet, spicy and tangy soup made with a clear broth infused with tons of high impact flavors. The soup is packed with noodles and your protein of choice, but manages to feel light and refreshing, leaving you coming back for more!

Tom yum gai (tom yam gai) is the version of this soup made with chicken, but there are other variations of tom yum soup. Another popular one is tom yum kung (tom yum goong) which swaps the chicken for shrimp.

It's a healthy pick. Tom yum has fewer than 100 calories per cup. It also has shrimp, veggies, and fragrant spices, such as lemongrass. Tom yum and other broth-based soups, like tofu-vegetable or wonton, are usually lower in fat and calories than soups made with coconut milk, such as tom kha.

What Does Tom Yum Soup Taste Like? The flavor of tom yum should be sour upfront from lime juice, then salty from fish sauce, with a mild sweetness from nam prik pao paste. You might not be able to necessarily taste the lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, but these aromatics should hit your nose while you slurp.

Featuring all four of the famous Thai flavors — salty, sour, sweet, and spicy, this soup is an amalgamation of the Thai holy trinity — lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. I personally think tom yum goong is one of those dishes with all the flavors that represents Thai cuisine in one bowl.

Hot and sour soup is usually very high in sodium and might be helpful for those suffering from sodium deficiency. However, consuming excess sodium can be harmful to those who suffer from high blood pressure. If you are preparing the soup at home, make sure you check the quantity of salt added to the soup.

There are two different types of Tom Yum soup. The original Tom Yum is a clear soup called Tom Yum Nam Sai. The later version, which is commonly seen and widely adored, is a vibrant-coloured, richer and creamier soup called Tom Yum Nam Khon as it has roasted chilli paste, evaporated milk or coconut cream added to it.

Tom yam pla (Thai: ต้มยำปลา) is a clear fish soup that was traditionally eaten with rice.

Originated in Thailand, this is sometimes called Tom Yam and is a soup that normally includes shrimp in a hot and sour serving. The words Tom Yam mean “boiling” or “hot” and “spicy and sour” which perfectly describes this soup. As a staple Thai dish, this famous Tom Yum Goong is served in Thai Square.

Do you eat everything in Tom Yum soup? ›

Be warned though! Much of what is in Tom Yum, you don't eat! It's just to flavor the soup!

Health Benefits: Tom Yum soup is made with a variety of fresh herbs and spices that are known for their health benefits. Lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal are all used in the soup and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

If your Thai prawn soup is bitter, you may have used a whole lime in the recipe instead of just lime juice. This comes from the lime rind (skin) and can be difficult to eliminate once added to the soup. To prevent your soup from being bitter, we recommend only using lime juice and whole limes in the recipe.

Serve tom yum soup as is for a flavorful appetizer or with steamed white rice or sticky rice as a main dish.

Origin of Tom Yum Soup

The popular soup option was traditionally made with freshwater shrimp, which were abundant in the rivers and streams of central Thailand. Over time, the soup began incorporating other ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chili peppers.

There are two different types of Tom Yum soup. The original Tom Yum is a clear soup called Tom Yum Nam Sai. The later version, which is commonly seen and widely adored, is a vibrant-coloured, richer and creamier soup called Tom Yum Nam Khon as it has roasted chilli paste, evaporated milk or coconut cream added to it.

Hot and Sour soup is a Chinese soup that's savoury, spicy and tangy. The broth is thickened and it's filled with mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots and silky egg ribbons. The flavour and textures in this soup are an addictive combination, making it a firm Chinese restaurant favourite!

Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as hulatang or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤).

The key difference between these two soups is that hot and sour soup has ketchup added to it for that particular sour taste whereas there is no ketchup in manchow soup. Also, manchow soup is traditionally accompanied by fried noodles whereas there are no such accompaniments with hot and sour soup.