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Tom Yum with Shrimp and Rice Noodles

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"An aromatic hot-and-sour broth infused with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, scallions, Thai chiles, and galangal is the foundation of this Thai favorite. The heady perfume is a hallmark, so follow the lead of Thai cooks: Smash the aromatics to unleash their fragrance and flavor before adding them to the broth. After just 15 minutes of simmering you can spoon them out and add mushrooms, fish sauce, unmashed scallions and chile, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and lime juice for umami, salty, sweet, and tart notes. Whole shrimp are traditional, but you can halve them crosswise before cooking, if you like. If you can't find makrut lime leaves (also sold as kaffir lime leaves), substitute three 3-inch strips each of lemon zest and lime zest. The soup base in step 2 will taste over-seasoned, but the addition of the noodles will mellow its flavor. You can substitute one serrano or one-half of a jalapeño for the whole Thai chile in step 1 and omit the sliced chile in step 2. If you're serving chileheads, pass a small bowl of extra sliced chile alongside."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed to bottom six inches
â—¦ 4 scallions, green parts cut into 1-inch lengths
â—¦ 6 makrut lime leaves
â—¦ 2 Thai chiles, stemmed (one left whole, one sliced thin)
â—¦ 1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal or ginger, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
â—¦ 8 cups chicken broth
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for seasoning
â—¦ 8 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed and torn into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for seasoning
â—¦ 1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
â—¦ 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
â—¦ 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus extra for seasoning, plus lime wedges for serving
â—¦ 4 ounces rice vermicelli
â—¦ ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
â—¦ ¼ cup fresh Thai basil leaves


Recipe

Place lemongrass, scallion whites, lime leaves, whole Thai chile, and galangal on cutting board and lightly smash with meat pounder or bottom of small skillet until mixture is moist and very fragrant. Transfer lemongrass mixture to Dutch oven. Add broth and sugar, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove solids from pot and discard.

Stir mushrooms, fish sauce, scallion greens, and sliced Thai chile into broth and simmer for 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in shrimp, cover, and let sit until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and lime juice. Season with extra sugar, extra fish sauce, and extra lime juice to taste.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Remove from heat, add noodles, and let sit, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain noodles and distribute evenly among individual bowls. Ladle soup over noodles and sprinkle with cilantro and basil. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 6 to 8