Tom Yum Shrimp Soup (Dong Yin Gong Xia Tang)

Why people make this soup

The name “tom yum kung” comes from Thai: tom means “to boil,” yum means “a spiced aromatic blend,” and kung means “shrimp.” The resulting soup — vivid red, richly fragrant, tangy with lime and lemongrass — is one of Southeast Asia’s most beloved soups. This recipe makes a satisfying home version using a ready-made tom yum paste, fresh aromatics, and prawns — refreshing, appetite-opening, and deeply satisfying.

In traditional Cantonese food-therapy thinking, a soup that warms the stomach and opens the appetite is said to benefit the spleen and stomach — supporting digestion and the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, and chilli are all warming, aromatic ingredients with long histories in Southeast Asian and Chinese food traditions. This soup can be enjoyed hot in winter for warming comfort, or slightly cooled in summer to refresh and stimulate a flagging appetite. Either way, it works.