Tom Yum Goong Noodle Recipe

Tom yum goong is the most famous of all Thai soup recipes. This tom yum goong recipe provides a pungent and zesty feast of flavors with every slurp! Growing up in Thailand, we would usually make this when we feel an early onset of a cold kicking in as the soup is an excellent remedy to clear up your sinuses and will also warm you up! This soup is typically served with rice on the side but I love throwing in some shanghai noodles or vermicelli to the mix for a one bowl meal. 

1. Remove the shrimp heads and place them in a wok or large skillet. Peel and clean the shrimp and set aside. 
2. Add oil to the skillet and set over medium heat. Sauté the shrimp heads to release their flavor into the oil, cooking until they are red and crispy. Then turn off the heat.
3. Meanwhile, trim the tips and root ends of the lemongrass stalks and remove the tough outer layers. Cut the lemongrass into 1” segments. Cut the galangal into small pieces.
4. Using a mortar and pestle or the side of a knife, smash the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and galangal. Place them in a medium soup pot and together with a bit of oil~ sauté the chopped up shallots and garlic together with the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies and galangal. 
5. Add a little bit more oil to the pot and stir fry the red curry paste in the same pot with a bit of coconut milk (do not pour in the entire can). Once a layer of oil emerges - pour the rest of the coconut milk into the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the broth smells bright and fragrant. 
6. Remove and discard any tough sections of lemongrass. (Keep them all in if the stalks are soft.) Increase the heat to high. Stir in the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and sprinkle in some dried chilli powder. Boil for a few minutes. Then stir in the shrimp and fish sauce, cooking until the shrimp are just cooked through.
7. Turn off the heat and squeeze in some fresh lime juice. Then stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the shrimp oil. (Discard the heads; do not add them to the soup.)
8. In a separate pot, boil water for your noodle of choice and cook up noodles.
9. Once noodles are cooked, ladle soup with noodles in a bowl and serve with fresh lime wedges and cilantro.