Hello Kindness,

The infamous Tom Yam Kung for #fareastfridayfeast as requested by some of you. How perfect is this for fall?

Whenever I’m learning about a dish from outside my culture, I tend to go on full nerd mode. 

I am lucky to have stumbled upon thaifoodmaster.com, a dedicated team of Authentic Thai chefs, recipe developers, custodians of authentic Thai cuisine aiming to educate what Thai cuisine is all about to international community. I recommend you to check them out!

Jump to recipe here

 Tom Yum was  originated during the Ratanakosin period, which began with the founding of Bangkok as the capital in 1782. A written evidence stated that during the reign of HRH King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V, 1853 – 1910), Tom Yam has became part of the Royal Thai cuisine.

It was mentioned that Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means “mixed".

Tom yum soup exhibits four clear flavors: unapologetic sourness, bold spiciness, and saltiness with notes of compromising sweetness. It has a playful citrusy aroma from lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, accented with a pleasant scent of roasted chili.

 Even though most of us are familiar with tom yam through the version cooked with Prawn (as pictured here); originally,Thai mostly use fish, dried fish or fish heads to make tom yam as it was more readily available( thaifoodmaster). Nowdays, many variety of tom yam often use shrimps, pork or chicken.

A few interesting facts about the soup:

In late 19th-century Siam, tom yum soup was made with collected rainwater – to prepare a clear broth soup called dtohm yam naam thaa (ต้มยำน้ำท่า)

Although nowdays galangal and mushroom are ubiquitous  with tom yam soup, they were never included in recipes before 19th century. Shells, heads,nothing go to waste here. The shell briefly boiled in the broth gives a sweet taste, while frying the shrimp's brains in a little oil really releases the taste of the ocean.  Here is the recipe for you to try!

I wish you all a good, and safe weekend!