Comments on Thai Food by SheSimmers: How to Make Tom Yam (ต้มยำ): Tom Yam 101 - Part On...

uh oh - For a slow-cooked dish like this, I would ...

2012-01-23T11:34:54.626-06:00

uh oh - For a slow-cooked dish like this, I would personally want to season the liquid I cook the meat in so at the end of the cooking time it will have taken on some flavor. If you add the fish sauce towards the end, the broth will be seasoned but the oxtails kind of bland.

For a quick Tom Yam (like shrimp tom yam) which does not involve long, slow stewing of the meat, the fish sauce can be added towards the end -- even off the heat.

question: there's a huge debate over whether t...

2012-01-23T09:18:24.217-06:00

question: there's a huge debate over whether to put the fish sauce at the end of the cooking or anytime throughout. some people swear that boiling it in the soup results in a fishy taste, hence the need to add it just before serving.. i wonder if this is more unnoticeable in this recipe because the ox tail imparts a strong beefy taste that masks that?

thoughts?

Hey :) I just found this blog and it made me laugh...

2011-10-05T21:39:58.077-05:00

Hey :) I just found this blog and it made me laugh so much! I am living in NZ and also a Thai ( and i like Pad Thai too! LOL ) But i gotta share with you this thing that people says when im complaining about hot weather ( gets freaking hot here in Summer-30 c and up! ) They will right away say " BUT YOU ARE FROM THAILAND!!! " That really gets me!! LOL!!! And my response will be " THIS IS WHY IM NOT THERE ANYMORE!!! " So weird!! Just because im Thai doesn't mean that i can't feel hot or cold! My husband loves this Ox tail soup dish! Thank you for putting it up. He will be so happy when i make it!!! xx

Anon - People have different ideas of what a great...

2011-10-03T11:06:21.625-05:00

Anon - People have different ideas of what a great bowl of Tom Yam is like. This recipe represents what I grew up eating outside the home. The version I always had at home didn't even have Nam Prik Pao in it. And these days, more than 50% (based solely on my observation) of Tom Yam served around the country (of Thailand), has evaporated milk in it to make the broth thick and creamy. What I'm saying is, the best way to tackle this is not to look for the Holy Grail of a recipe for that may not exist. I'd recall the characteristics of the type of Tom Yam I like and use all the recipes out there as a guide to achieve those characteristics. After all, there's not much to Tom Yam. It's just an infused soup.

I recently had a conversation with someone who said to me that he hadn't found a perfect recipe for Tom Yam, and this one didn't meet his expectations either. After having listened to him explain in detail the characteristics of the Tom Yam he liked, I told him to get a jar of commercial Tom Yam paste and follow the instructions on the label. Turned out, that was exactly what he was looking for. He fell in love with this kind of Tom Yam served at his local Thai restaurant in Ohio and couldn't, up to that point, figure out how to replicate that flavor. All the recipes he'd tried had failed him. There's nothing wrong with liking TY made from commercial Tom Yam paste; one just needs to recognize that perhaps that's what it takes to get what one wants. This may or may not apply to you.

As for Kuay Tiao Hang, it's not a dish; it's a class of dishes. There's a way to make these dishes, and I hope to post it here soon.

Will have to try. After trying to find the elusive...

2011-10-01T08:38:29.887-05:00

Will have to try. After trying to find the elusive great bowl of Tom yam outside Thailans and even in Thailand I've given up even trying. Your recipe could be the solution. Thank you! I am also looking for the recipe for I think Kuey teow hang which I had at Pi's Thai Cuisine 14 years ago which was one of the best Thai dishes I've ever had. But can't seem to find this dish as I had it. My memory is that there was about 3/4 inch of liquid at bottom. Any idea??

You're right, I've never seen this style o...

2009-11-16T23:00:04.756-06:00

You're right, I've never seen this style of tom yam available in any Thai restaurant I've visited. How come people always save the good stuff for home? :) Thanks for posting this. Definitely plan on trying it sometime soon!

I've never had oxtail in tom yum! Looks and so...

2009-06-26T07:26:50.058-05:00

I've never had oxtail in tom yum! Looks and sounds gorgeous! I hate the do you know who and who question, I just give them weird looks.

Anonymous - Thank you. That means a lot. :)

2009-06-25T06:47:21.697-05:00

Anonymous - Thank you. That means a lot. :)

I love your humour! There are many food blogs out ...

2009-06-25T06:24:31.342-05:00

I love your humour! There are many food blogs out there, with great pictures and some with wordy narrations, but yours has all the right ingredients to make it a truly superb one - humour, wit, straightforward writing, glorious pictures, wonderful and original recipes and the best bit is - your blog teaches too. I keep coming back to your blog. Thanks!

Roger - Very carefully.

2009-06-23T18:49:05.265-05:00

Roger - Very carefully.

And how do I make Tom stop yamming?

2009-06-23T18:36:22.186-05:00

And how do I make Tom stop yamming?

You are so funny. So glad I found your blog..Ill b...

2009-06-23T12:52:47.982-05:00

You are so funny. So glad I found your blog..Ill be back Figtreeapps

Of course, it's normal to have people tell you...

2009-06-23T12:12:22.329-05:00

Of course, it's normal to have people tell you that Indian food is "so spicy"! The same reaction from within India when I tell people I'm from Andhra Pradesh, known for its supposedly chilli-intense cuisine. I'm sure I've said stuff like this myself to others - I'm trying to remember if I did and what I said :-D

But you're right to take it easy!

Hah, the only one I've gotten so far is the &q...

2009-06-23T00:52:05.100-05:00

Hah, the only one I've gotten so far is the "you don't have an accent!" thing. I do have an accent, it's just not the one you were expecting ;)

Is the process the same as with shrimp? (In general I prefer it to meat.) Can't wait for the next part!

I may at one point or other said some of those cri...

2009-06-22T20:13:10.157-05:00

I may at one point or other said some of those cringe worthy bits, god I hope not, but I have certainly heard others. I remember being in a bar with some Swedish friends, and a guy comes up and says he know Sven from Norway, and you can guess how that goes.

Tom Yam sounds just incredible, and I look forward to trying it. This dish looks like such a lovely belly warming meal, that I cannot wait to try it, perfect for a cloudy damp SF evening.

I know what you mean-I've heard a lot of "...

2009-06-22T18:30:18.273-05:00

I know what you mean-I've heard a lot of "we love tandoori chicken and curry"!!
Can't wait for Part-2 of Tom Yam now ;)

Yum, tom yam! I love the unwitting/ignorant cul...

2009-06-22T17:20:58.736-05:00

Yum, tom yam!

I love the unwitting/ignorant cultural stereotype comment! Here in London, as soon as I open my mouth, the first question is about politics followed closely by a verbatim quoting from the Sopranos, as though we're all refugees from HBO or Scorcese films. If I'm lucky I can escape before they start asking me why all Americans are fat and drive big cars...

Yes, I get these questions/comments all the time, ...

2009-06-22T14:01:15.598-05:00

Yes, I get these questions/comments all the time, being from Ukraine and also the whole Russian vs Ukrainian question :)

Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe for Tom Yam. I would love to make it sometime soon!

That's true, Adrienne. Now that I think about ...

2009-06-22T13:51:53.030-05:00

That's true, Adrienne. Now that I think about it, a friend from Vermont once said people often told him they loved maple syrup.

This post is great! I feel like this happens to e...

2009-06-22T13:47:52.535-05:00

This post is great! I feel like this happens to everyone, no matter where you're from people want to find a connection to what they perceive as your culture. I'm from Maine, and I get "Oh I love lobster!"

Hahaha,I've gotten the adobo line many times. ...

2009-06-22T13:40:14.797-05:00

Hahaha,I've gotten the adobo line many times. Lately, it's been more of the "Ooo...I love those skinny eggrolls." LOL.

I've heard of Tom Yam, but have never tried it and Ox tail in general. I feel like I'm missing out.

Can't wait for part two!

Too funny. Sorry you have to smile and suffer thro...

2009-06-22T13:28:55.872-05:00

Too funny. Sorry you have to smile and suffer through that! Your broth looks amazing. I love the colors.

Kelly - I would go with anything else other than o...

2009-06-22T13:18:06.345-05:00

Kelly - I would go with anything else other than oxtail. Oxtail after having your wisdom teeth removed seems like a bad idea. Fish? :)

Oh, and being from Texas I get a lot of hokey cowb...

2009-06-22T13:15:26.025-05:00

Oh, and being from Texas I get a lot of hokey cowboy questions, and when I was in England I got asked about BBQ non-stop!

I do not find anything about that dish ugly. It i...

2009-06-22T13:14:27.654-05:00

I do not find anything about that dish ugly. It is all beauty, all wonderful! Just reading the ingredients has me craving a taste! I'll have to go to the Asian market this week and make some for after my wisdom teeth come out. I suspect it will greatly aid my recovery!