Tom Yum Soup with Noodles, Vegetables & Crispy Prawns

Joanne Brook-Smith

3 days ago

Easy Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Vegetables and Crispy Chilli Prawns

Fresh, fiery and packed with flavour, this Tom Yum soup combines a fragrant hot and sour broth with noodles, colourful vegetables and prawns, finished with a generous stack of crispy chilli prawns.

Created for Ravish by Ravish columnist and executive chef Paul Watters, this is the sort of recipe that looks impressive enough for a restaurant table but is surprisingly straightforward to recreate at home. Lemongrass, lime, chilli, ginger and fish sauce give the broth its characteristic Thai-inspired flavour, while plenty of vegetables keep the finished dish fresh and vibrant.

The finishing touch is Paul’s crispy chilli prawns, which are piled on top of the soup rather than submerged in the broth. Not only does it make for a great-looking bowl, but it also means those prawns stay beautifully crisp while the noodles and vegetables soak up all that aromatic broth.

Ingredients

For the Tom Yum Soup

250g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
100g rice noodles or fine egg noodles
1 litre fish or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Tom Yum paste
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and sliced
3–4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2–3 slices fresh galangal or ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice, plus extra to taste
1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
100g sugar snap peas
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1 baby corn, sliced lengthways
100g pak choi, leaves separated
½ red pepper, sliced
Small handful of bean sprouts, optional
1 tsp sesame oil

For the Crispy Chilli Prawns

8 large raw prawns
3 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp smoked or sweet paprika
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil, for frying

To Finish

Fresh coriander leaves, picked
Fresh red chilli, finely sliced
Lime wedges, optional
Crispy chilli oil, optional

Method

Make the Crispy Chilli Prawns

Pat the prawns thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. This will help the coating adhere properly and give you a crispier finish.

In a bowl, combine the cornflour, chilli flakes, paprika and a pinch of salt. Add the prawns and toss until they are thoroughly coated.

Pour approximately 1cm of vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat.

Add the coated prawns and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden, crisp and completely cooked through.

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside while you prepare the soup.

Make the Tom Yum Broth

Pour the stock into a large saucepan and add the lemongrass, torn kaffir lime leaves, galangal or ginger, garlic and sliced red chilli.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes, allowing the aromatics to infuse the stock.

Stir in the Tom Yum paste, fish sauce and palm or brown sugar.

Add the carrot, baby corn, sugar snap peas and red pepper and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. You want the vegetables to soften slightly while retaining some of their colour and bite.

Add the Noodles and Vegetables

Add the noodles and pak choi to the broth and continue to simmer until the noodles are tender.

If you’re using bean sprouts, add them towards the end of cooking so that they retain some crunch.

Add the king prawns and cook gently until they are pink, opaque and completely cooked through. Avoid overcooking them, as prawns can quickly become tough.

Stir in the lime juice and sesame oil.

Taste the broth before serving and adjust the balance to suit you. Add a little more lime for sharpness, fish sauce for saltiness or chilli if you want more heat.

Assemble the Soup

Divide the noodles, vegetables and prawns between two deep bowls, then generously ladle over the aromatic Tom Yum broth.

Pile the crispy chilli prawns in the centre of each bowl, making sure they sit above the surface of the broth rather than becoming submerged.

Finish with plenty of freshly picked coriander leaves and finely sliced red chilli. Add a drizzle of crispy chilli oil for extra heat and serve with fresh lime wedges on the side, if you like.

Paul’s Tip

For the best presentation and texture, keep the crispy prawns completely above the broth and add the coriander at the very last second.

Keeping the prawns away from the liquid is important: that contrast between the hot, fragrant broth and crunchy chilli coating is what makes the finished dish work so well.

A Fresh and Fiery Dinner for Two

With its rich orange-red broth, vibrant vegetables and golden crispy prawns piled on top, this is a dinner that delivers on presentation as much as flavour.

Despite the impressive finished bowl, much of the work comes down to building the broth and allowing a handful of punchy ingredients to do their job. Tom Yum paste provides a useful shortcut, while fresh lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, chilli and lime bring extra freshness and depth.

The combination of noodles and vegetables makes it substantial enough for dinner without becoming overly heavy, while the crispy prawns add that final bit of indulgence.

Serve it piping hot, put some extra lime and chilli on the table and let everyone adjust the heat and sharpness to their own taste. It’s a colourful, flavour-packed recipe that proves a seriously impressive bowl of soup doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen.

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