My mom would never let us leave her home without dinner leftovers, as well as tropical fruits from her morning market run. Now in Minnesota, late in the summer, Mark’s mom has all her garden vegetables packed up and ready to hand over before we even visit.
2-gallon Ziploc bags of green beans. Grocery bags of gnarled carrots and sweet, yellow onions. Giant watermelons! And of course, boxes of the most deliciously fresh red tomatoes.
Our kitchen is now overflowing with tomatoes so juicy that we’ve been making batches of Garden Fresh Tomato Basil Soup, tomato sauce, and tomato salsa. And along with the extra garden goodies, I couldn’t help but to cook up one of my favorites soups - Tom Yum (Thai Hot & Sour Soup).
I’ve shared a couple of recipes for tom yum soup before, but I always receive requests for more using our Basic Thai Spice Set. So this time I made a slight variation to highlight the flavor of the garden tomatoes, and to give the soup a sweet crunch by adding in another seasonal vegetable – sweet corn.
This recipe for Thai Tom Yum Soup with Grilled Corn, is flavored with fish sauce, lime juice and our easy-to-use Thai spice powders - kaffir lime, lemongrass and galangal. The trio really gives the soup that distinctive Thai flavor.
With my bounty of tomatoes, I added in extra, and smashed them to release more flavor and give the soup a slightly thicker texture. Then I topped the soup with grilled sweet corn. Not the typical ingredient in a classic tom yum, but the sweetness plays so well with the hearty garden tomatoes.
Sweet, sour & refreshing, this Tom Yum Soup with Grilled Corn makes a delicious appetizer soup to serve along with Thai Grilled Chicken Wings or Thai Shrimp & Veggie Stir-Fry.
Thai Tom Yum Soup with Grilled Corn
by Season with Spice
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
3 tbsp oil
2-3 shallots – thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic
5 cups vegetables broth or water
6-7 medium size tomatoes – chopped
1 tsp Season with Spice's Kaffir Lime Leaf Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice's Galangal Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice's Lemongrass Powder
1 green bell pepper – diced
2.5 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
2 tsp raw sugar or coconut sugar
Freshly squeezed lime juice
3 ears of sweet corn
A handful of fresh cilantro
Method:
1. In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat about two tablespoons of oil. Add in shallots, and sauté until they begin to soften. Then add in garlic, and continue to sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.
2. Add in vegetable broth/water, and the chopped tomatoes. Bring it to a boil over high heat. While it’s heating, use a wooden spoon to smash some of the tomatoes to extract the flavor.
3. In a small bowl, combine the kaffir lime, lemongrass, and galangal powders. Add in about one tablespoon of oil and two teaspoons of water. Stir to form into a paste.
4. Once the tomatoes start to cook down, lower the heat to medium, and stir in the spice paste.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add in the bell peppers. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes. Season with fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Stir to combine. The tomatoes should be melded into the soup well at this point. Taste, and adjust any seasonings if necessary. Keep the soup at a low simmer, or turn heat off while you prepare the corn.
6. Heat the grill to medium. Lightly brush each cob with olive oil, and place on the grill. Grill for 8 -10 minutes, turning every few minutes. Once the corn is light charred and the kernels are tender, set aside to allow to slightly cool.
7. Give the soup a good stir, and then ladle into serving bowls. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs. Top the soup with the grilled corn, and a generous amount of fresh cilantro. Serve hot, or at room temperature, with a few lime wedges on the side.
Notes:
- I toned down the heat (by skipping the chili peppers), so the flavor of the Thai spices would shine through. But you can definitely add in some fresh serrano or jalapeno if you like.
by Season with Spice
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
3 tbsp oil
2-3 shallots – thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic
5 cups vegetables broth or water
6-7 medium size tomatoes – chopped
1 tsp Season with Spice's Kaffir Lime Leaf Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice's Galangal Powder
1/2 tsp Season with Spice's Lemongrass Powder
1 green bell pepper – diced
2.5 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
2 tsp raw sugar or coconut sugar
Freshly squeezed lime juice
3 ears of sweet corn
A handful of fresh cilantro
Method:
1. In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat about two tablespoons of oil. Add in shallots, and sauté until they begin to soften. Then add in garlic, and continue to sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.
2. Add in vegetable broth/water, and the chopped tomatoes. Bring it to a boil over high heat. While it’s heating, use a wooden spoon to smash some of the tomatoes to extract the flavor.
3. In a small bowl, combine the kaffir lime, lemongrass, and galangal powders. Add in about one tablespoon of oil and two teaspoons of water. Stir to form into a paste.
4. Once the tomatoes start to cook down, lower the heat to medium, and stir in the spice paste.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add in the bell peppers. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes. Season with fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Stir to combine. The tomatoes should be melded into the soup well at this point. Taste, and adjust any seasonings if necessary. Keep the soup at a low simmer, or turn heat off while you prepare the corn.
6. Heat the grill to medium. Lightly brush each cob with olive oil, and place on the grill. Grill for 8 -10 minutes, turning every few minutes. Once the corn is light charred and the kernels are tender, set aside to allow to slightly cool.
7. Give the soup a good stir, and then ladle into serving bowls. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs. Top the soup with the grilled corn, and a generous amount of fresh cilantro. Serve hot, or at room temperature, with a few lime wedges on the side.
Notes:
- I toned down the heat (by skipping the chili peppers), so the flavor of the Thai spices would shine through. But you can definitely add in some fresh serrano or jalapeno if you like.
