Thai Mushroom Soup with Coconut Milk and Shrimp

5 from 5 votes

A classic Thai soup made with mushrooms, shrimp and coconut milk. Rice, noodles, small bok choi or other vegetables like watercress can be added to make it more filling.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Thai mushroom coconut soup, Tom Yum Mushroom Soup

Servings: People

Calories: 1345kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 10

Equipment

1 Small soup pot
1 paring knife for cleaning shrimp

Ingredients

Shrimp stock

1 lb head on shrimp or ½ lb peeled and deveined shrimp
6-8 Kaffir lime leaves
½ oz galangal sliced, with a slice or two removed for the finished soup.
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic crushed with the back of a knife
2 thai chilis or to taste

Soup

2 tablespoons Thai curry paste to taste
1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes.
6 oz mushrooms
2-3 tablespoons lime juice to taste
½ stalk of lemon grass bruised with a knife
1 tablespoon maple syrup or sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce or to taste
2 handfuls chopped watercress or baby spinach optional
1 12oz can of coconut milk

Instructions

Shrimp Stock

Trim the shrimp, reserving the heads and shells. Reserve a ½ inch slice of galangal and a few lime leaves for finishing the soup.
Roast the heads and shells for 15 minutes at 350, then add to a pot with the onion, lime leaves, garlic, lemongrass and galangal. Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain the stock and reserve.

Soup

Add the mushrooms, reserved lime leaves and galangal to the shrimp stock (you should have about 1.5 cups), along with the remaining ingredients except the lime juice, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Season the mixture until it tastes good to you. When the soup tastes good, add the shrimp and heat through for about 3 minutes, trying not to overcook them.
Add the spinach or watercress if using and heat just to wilt.
When they’re done, stir in the lime juice, double check the seasoning for salt and lime one last time, adjust as needed, and serve.

Video

https://youtu.be/argi0Km-V1w?si=AXjorFa-_6lzDR2u

Notes

Variations and Substitutions

I love making shrimp stock. If you can't find head on shrimp, feel free to use half a pound of 26/30 lb or smaller-sized shrimp, and substitute chicken stock for the shrimp stock. Or save up your shrimp shells and make it with shells and no shrimp heads.

The mushrooms can be added to the soup as it cooks. For a variation with deeper mushroom flavor, fry them until the begin to color and stir them into the soup at the last minute.

Nutrition