It has enough heat for people with sensitive mouths. It is also slightly salty, but when we added coconut milk or more water, we easily adjusted the flavor based on our preference. 3. Lobo Tom Yum Paste Kaffir lime zest. From the kaffir lime peel. Substitute kaffir lime leaves with a ½ teaspoon of regular lime zest, as kaffir limes are extremely hard to find outside of Thailand. From first chop to first slurp takes a quarter of an hour. It’s flexible, too: swap the protein or veg for whatever you have to hand. The intestinal tracts of the prawns aren’t harmful, so for speed I’ve opted not to devein them, but if you have the time or inclination, go for it.

Use a spice grinder if you have a small food processor. Make the paste in batches and combine it in a small bowl.

Preparation of Tom Yum Paste

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz away until you get a fine paste. Pause a couple of times to scrape the edges of the food processor with a spatula. Add more water as needed, but not too much. Tom yam pla ( Thai: ต้มยำปลา) is a clear fish soup that was traditionally eaten with rice. It used to be the most widespread form of tom yam before mass-tourism came to Thailand, for fresh fish is readily available almost everywhere in the region's rivers, canals and lakes as well as in the sea. Usually fish with firm flesh that doesn't crumble after boiling is preferred for this type of soup. [11] Soak the chilies in hot water for 10 minutes, or until they are soft. Take out the chilies, but keep the water to use when blending the ingredients.

It’s a sweet, sour, and spicy soup that’s typically made with makrut lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, galangal, crushed peppers, lemongrass, and shrimp. Chef’s Note: I keep my pieces larger for the ingredients making up what is usually a “paste”. In this way, they don’t crush down into too much of a paste. However, if you prefer a finer texture then feel free to mince the ingredients before crushing them in the mortar and pestle.Dried Guajillo chilies substitute: The same amount of Dried Ancho chile or the Pasilla Negro chile. In Thailand they use dried Thai Spur chilies, but I have trouble finding them in America. When using a mortar and pestle method, be careful that some hot ingredients might bounce out of the mortar. Use a kitchen towel to lightly wrap around the opening of the mortar for extra caution. Eyeglasses are helpful as a safety tool, too. (: The paste contains ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chili peppers, and other seasonings that give it a tangy and spicy taste. Just a spoonful of this paste can add a burst of deliciousness to your cooking, whether you're making soup, stir-fries, or marinades.