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.

Method

1. Clean the prawns: trim the antennae and legs, and use a toothpick or knife tip to remove the intestinal tract along the back. Set aside.
2. Slice the lemongrass into thin rounds. Tear or cut the kaffir lime leaves. Slice the galangal. Finely chop the chillies. Cut the lime into wedges. Cut the tomatoes into chunks.
3. In a pot, combine the tom yum paste, aromatics (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, bay leaves), and tomato chunks with 2.1 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
5. Add the prawns, tomato paste, and a squeeze of lime. Cook until the prawns are just pink and cooked through — about 3–5 minutes. Do not overcook the prawns.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Nourilo’s Tips

For a more intensely flavoured broth, simmer the prawn heads and shells together with the aromatics and paste. Once the stock is done, remove the heads and shells, then add the fresh prawn meat to cook just before serving. The result is a noticeably richer and more savoury soup. This soup pairs beautifully with rice noodles, flat rice noodles, or as Nourilo first made it — over Italian pasta.