Our starter guide to the best places to get your fill of the staple Thai soup dish
Spicy, tangy, and bright, tom yum is an undeniable crowd favourite in Thai cuisine. Tom yum is the name given to a family of Thai soups characterised by their hot and sour flavour profiles. Its name is derived from the Thai words for boil, “tom”, and the mixing of ingredients, “yum”.
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Primarily made of water, coconut milk, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chilis, shallots, and garlic, tom yum soups come in different varieties, including the well-loved tom yum goong, a clear soup with prawns, and tom yam kathi, a coconut-milk based tom yum. The most basic version that we all know and love today is called the tom yum nam khon was introduced around the 1980s and includes chilli paste, evaporated milk or coconut cream.
From Bamboo Hills’ Nok Yung to Damansara Kim's Kompassion, here are our ten favourite Thai restaurants in the area to visit for this fragrant soup.
1. La Moon Thai
One of Tatler Dining’s Top 20 Restaurants of 2023, La Moon Thai is a popular choice amongst locals for vibrant and reliable Thai cuisine in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Its tom yum goong is among the most popular dishes on its menu.
Tangy, fragrant, and undoubtedly spicy, each bowl is made fresh to order and includes a few juicy prawns and squid slices. There is also a vegetarian version with mushrooms for those who aren’t seafood fans.