This recipe is similar to regular tom yum but with extra seafood added. In the style of Southern Thai cooking, our recipe is particularly hot and spicy (and we already reduced the quantity of chillies to 15 from 26 in the original recipe!).
Remember, Thai recipes are very flexible so experiment with quantities to match your soup to your own tastes.
Ingredients:
- 5 mussels
- 7 clams
- 1 crab (150g)
- 3 lemongrass stems, cut into segments
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 7 shrimps, shelled and de-veined
- 1 squid (150g), cut into pieces
- 6 straw mushrooms, halved
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 15 birds eye chillies (reduce the quantity if desired)
- 1/2 cup holy basil leaves
- Fresh holy basil tips to garnish
Method:
- Clean the mussels and clams well. Put into a bowl of water and add 5 pounded Thai chillies to help remove dirt. Wash again.
- Clean and scrub the crab shell thoroughly, discard inedible parts and wash again. Cut into halves and cut away the end of the legs. Break the claws and put aside.
- Place a pot of water over medium heat, add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and bring to the boil. Add mussels, clams and crab and boil until all are cooked through. Add shrimp, squid and mushrooms. Leave on heat until all are cooked. Season with fish sauce and lime juice. The soup should taste salty and sour. Then add 20 Thai chillies and holy basil leaves. Turn off the heat.
- Spoon into a serving bowl or a hot pot, garnish with holy basil tips. Best when serve hot.
Recipe by kind permission of Very Thai