Tom Yum Goong — Central (Bangkok), Thailand

The soup that defines Thai cooking was born in the central plains; legend places it on the table of an Ayutthaya king in the 1700s. The broth is built on lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and galangal —none of them eaten, all of them perfuming— and the 'nam khon' version is finished with a splash of coconut milk that rounds off the sourness.

Ingredients

large head-on river shrimp, 300 g
bruised lemongrass stalks, 3
kaffir lime leaves, 5
galangal, sliced, 40 g
straw mushrooms, 150 g
fresh bird's eye chilies, bruised, 4-6
lime juice, 3 tbsp
fish sauce, 2 tbsp, plus optional coconut milk, 4 tbsp

150–300 kcal per typical serving. per large bowl of the clear version; the coconut-milk nam khon comes close to the top (estimated from the typical recipe)

Where to try it

Bangkok

More history on Wikipedia: Tom yum

How it is made

Simmer the shrimp heads and shells briefly in water for a base broth; strain.
Bring the broth to a boil with the lemongrass, galangal and kaffir leaves; 5 min so it perfumes.
Add mushrooms and shrimp; cook just 2-3 min so they don't toughen.
Take off the heat and season with lime, fish sauce and chilies: lime off the fire keeps all its sourness.
For the nam khon version, finish with the coconut milk and re-balance sour and salt; serve with cilantro.