Tom yum soup with prawns

Name: Tom yum soup with prawns
Prep time: 11 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 31 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 200g Onion; 150g Tomato; 20g Red Chilli; 15g Galangal; 2 Lemongrass Stalks; 250g Raw King Prawns; 1 Chicken Stock Cube; 120g Oyster Mushrooms; 8 makrut lime leaves; 25 ml Fish Sauce; 25 ml Lime juice; 70 ml Coconut Milk; 1 tblsp Thai Chilli Jam; Handful Coriander

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Seafood recipe with Thai flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 43 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 31 min total

200g Onion
150g Tomato
20g Red Chilli
15g Galangal
2 Lemongrass Stalks
250g Raw King Prawns
1 Chicken Stock Cube
120g Oyster Mushrooms
8 Makrut Lime Leaves
25 ml Fish Sauce
25 ml Lime Juice
70 ml Coconut Milk
1 tblsp Thai Chilli Jam
Handful Coriander

Step-by-step instructions

Pour 1.3 litres water into a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion, tomato, chilli, galangal, lemongrass, prawn heads and chicken stock cube. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 mins until the liquid has reduced.
Carefully strain the hot broth into a large heatproof bowl or jug, then discard the prawn heads. Return the strained veg and herb mixture to the saucepan and pour over the broth. Stir through the mushrooms and lime leaves, then cook for 3 mins until the mushrooms are tender.
Add 1 tbsp sugar, the fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk and prawns. Bring to the boil and cook until the prawns are cooked through, about 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat. Remove the lemongrass, then stir in the Thai chilli jam, if using. Scatter over the coriander to finish, if you like, and serve.

Why this works on a weeknight

Tom yum soup with prawns lands at about 31 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Quick Soups & Stews collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Tom yum soup with prawns actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥣 Quick Soups & Stews Seafood Thai Soup