Leela Punyaratabandhu’s Profile
Recent Comments
Creamy Tom Yam Kung (Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp)
When you use coconut milk in Tom Yam in this manner, the result, though undoubtedly delicious, can no longer be regarded as the creamy version of Tom Yam for it has become a different dish called Tom Kha (Gai -- if you use chicken, that is). In Thailand, the Tom Kha and creamy Tom Yam are never confused because the latter is always made with dairy, most of the time evaporated milk.
Using coconut milk in a Thai dish instead of dairy will certainly make it more "authentic," but when it comes to creamy Tom Yam, the dish that makes purists shake their heads in exasperation, authenticity is never a factor to begin with.
I've talked about this here: http://www.shesimmers.com/2012/02/creamy-tom-yam-kung-tom-yam-kung-nam.html
Thai Cooking: Creamy Tom Yam Kung
Everybody - Thank you so much!
Irene - dmarina is correct.
Thai Cooking: Creamy Tom Yam Kung
Everybody - Thanks!
Irene - Tom Kha is made with coconut milk. Creamy Tom Yam is a newer version of the traditional dish that has gained popularity in recent years (Thai food purists hate it ...) and it's made with dairy.
See more comments by Leela Punyaratabandhu »
Recent Posts
See more posts by Leela Punyaratabandhu »
Recent Favorites
See more favorites by Leela Punyaratabandhu »
Recent Polls
Leela Punyaratabandhu hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
Leela Punyaratabandhu hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
About Leela Punyaratabandhu
Website: http://www.shesimmers.com
Location: Chicago
About: Thai, biped, globetrotting, food-obsessed, food-blogging, language geek.
Favorite foods: Warm Thai jasmine rice topped with Thai-style omelet (with crispy edges) and a drizzle of Thai Sriracha sauce.
Last bite on earth:

Unicornmaster (love your handle) - Yeah, it's hard to specify the exact amount of fish sauce since the level of salinity varies greatly from brand to brand. How much sodium is already in your broth is also a factor.
Also -- and I'm glad you brought this up because I totally forgot to mention this in the post introducing this recipe -- Tom Yam is traditionally served as a main dish to be eaten with rice. So it's usually seasoned with the bland rice in mind. But if you serve it the Western way (or the way many Thai restaurants overseas do) as a stand-alone soup, it makes sense to reduce the amount of fish sauce.
I like to use Thai fish sauce for Thai dishes, by the way. Scale brand is a good one. Healthy Boy is not too shabby either. Neither one has artificial coloring or flavorings.