Vietnamese-Inspired Tom Yum Noodle Soup

5 from 5 votes

This Tom Yum Noodle Soup will rock your world. It's an easy recipe because it uses the same store bought paste that's used in restaurants!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Thai, Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 341kcal

Bring the pot of water to boil, then add the tamarind powder, fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, tom yum paste and kaffir lime leaves in. Mix until well combined.
Wash and slice the mini king oyster mushrooms in half, then add them to the broth and turn the heat down to a medium simmer while you work on the other ingredients.
In a small saucepan, heat up 1 tbsp oil and brown the 3/4 of the chopped garlic on low heat for 3 minutes or until golden, then pour the contents into the stock.
In a large wok, add 5 tbsp oil and add the remaining garlic in along with the ginger on medium heat. Stir for 30 seconds.
Turn the heat to high and add the fish in along with the lemongrass. Cook for 3 minutes or until the outsides of the fish are seared.
Bring the broth back to a boil and pour the pan fried fish and lemongrass in, then add the prawns and tomatoes to cook for 4 minutes or until just cooked.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles for 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
Serve the broth and toppings hot with the noodles and fresh garnish!

Cook the seafood just before eating. Prawns and fish can overcook easily, so bring the pot to a boil just before serving and put the seafood in until just cooked.
Add the tomatoes in last. They will turn mushy if kept in the broth for too long.
Use a shrimp, meat or vegetable stock. This will add another flavor layer to your base broth.
We used frozen pre-blitzed lemongrass because it was readily available, but the best flavors will come from freshly blitzed lemongrass.
This recipe uses mini king oyster mushrooms and can be swapped out using any of your favorite ones. Straw, button and oyster mushrooms work well in this dish.
We use Vietnamese rice noodles, but that's up to personal preference. Another great alternative would be egg noodles.
Tamarind powder packets can be found in Asian supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can use tamarind paste instead. Make sure to season accordingly because it can be very sour.
Our family uses Penta Instant Thai Tom Yum Paste but if you can't find it, you can make your own or buy other brands. Just adjust the recipe to preference as different suppliers have slightly different tastes.