A Singaporean Mum

I haven’t cooked Thai food in awhile, and with our trip coming up soon, I’m in that “must use up everything in the fridge” mode. I’ve got a bunch of basil waiting to be turned into basil pork, and since the hubs loves his soups, I figured why not make something he’ll enjoy too? So today’s the day for a tangy, comforting Tom Yum Soup — but of course, the easy version. No fuss, no complicated steps, just a quick, flavour-packed bowl that hits all the right spots before we head off on holiday.

Here’s how I do it!

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

Soup Base

1 tom yum pack

1L chicken stock

500ml water

1 can straw mushrooms, halved

8 prawns (deshelled but keep heads for prawn stock)

1 squid, cleaned and sliced

Seasoning

1 tbsp Thai chilli paste (optional)

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime (included in tom yum pack)

Method

1. Make aromatic broth

• Fry prawn heads in pot until fragrant.

• Add in 500ml water and simmer for 30 mins.

• Add tom yum pack (lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, and kaffir lime leaves), chicken stock and fish sauce.

• Let it simmer 8–10 minutes to release the fragrance.

2. Add mushrooms & seafood

• Add mushrooms. Cook for 3–4 minutes.

• Add prawns and cook until they turn pink (about 2 minutes).

• Optional: add Thai chili paste for more spice.

• Bring it to a boil, add the squid, then turn off the heat and cover the pot.

3. Serve

• Stir in lime juice before serving.

• Best served with Thai Basil Pork with rice!