Mushroom Tom Yum Soup

Tom yum is built on aromatics — lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime — infused into broth and then lifted right at the end with lime juice. This is the vegetarian version, made with mushrooms.

Use one variety or a mix. Oyster, shiitake and straw mushrooms all work, and a combination is better than any one of them alone.

Serves 4

Ingredients

7 oz mushrooms
4 shallots
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock
2–3 tablespoons tom yum paste
8 thin slices fresh ginger or galangal
6 dried kaffir lime leaves
3 tablespoons dried lemongrass
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar

To finish

Fresh cilantro

Method

Char the shallots directly over a high flame for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until blackened in places. Quarter them.

Charring the shallots rather than simply slicing them gives the broth a smoky depth that is worth the extra four minutes.

Pour the vegetable stock into a deep pot and whisk in the tom yum paste until dissolved. Bring to a boil.

Add the charred shallots, lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes, or up to 10 for a stronger infusion.

Strain out the lemongrass, ginger and lime leaves with a slotted spoon, leaving the shallots in the pot. These aromatics give their flavor to the broth but are woody and unpleasant to eat.

Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pot with the mushroom soy sauce and brown sugar. Simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.

Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Turn off the heat and add the tomatoes. They need only the residual heat of the broth — cooked longer they collapse and cloud the soup.

Stir in the fresh lime juice last, off the heat. Lime juice boiled in a pot turns dull and slightly bitter. Off the heat it stays sharp, and that sharpness is what makes the soup tom yum.

Taste and adjust: more lime for sourness, more soy for salt, a pinch more sugar to balance.

Serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Chef’s note

Galangal is the authentic choice, not ginger. They look similar but galangal is sharper and more citrusy. Asian markets carry it fresh or frozen, and it makes a noticeable difference.

Tayland mutfağından gelen bol Mantarlı Tom Yum Çorbası Tarifimiz var. Çorba içerisinde dilerseniz tek çeşit dilerseniz karışık mantarlar kullanabilirsiniz. Hemen çorba tarifimizi hazırlamaya geçelim.

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