The Best Spicy Thai Soup (Authentic Tom Yum)

Nam Prik Pao:

1. In a small bowl, place the tamarind paste, add water, stir it, let it sit for a few minutes, stir again until smooth, and pass it through a mesh strainer until everything passes through and you get a smooth consistency.
2. In a wok, add vegetable oil; before heating the oil, add garlic and turn up the heat to medium. The garlic will start to bubble, then fry, let it cook, occasionally stirring until the garlic is toasted and golden brown. Then remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
3. Add shallots to the oil, leave it on medium, fry the shallots occasionally stirring, then once most of the bubbling has subsided, and the shallots are golden brown, remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
4. Add chilies to the oil, gently stir those in, fry around 20 to 30 seconds or until fragrant and beginning to darken; remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
5. In a food processor, add dried shrimp, process on high until you get as fine of a powder as possible, remove, and reserve. In the same processor, add fried chilies, fried garlic, and shallots, blend on high until fine but slightly crumbly mixture.
6. Using the same wok, set to medium-high, add shrimp powder, lightly stir fry until fragrant. Then add palm sugar, cook together constantly stirring until dissolved, stir in your chili mixture, tamarind paste, fish sauce, let it simmer, often stirring until slightly thickened. Pour it into a bowl, and let it cool down completely.

Traditional Tom Yum:

1. Devein the shrimp, remove the heads and shells and place them in a separate bowl. In a medium stockpot, add all your shrimp heads and shells, add water, heat over medium-high; as soon as it starts to come to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer till reduced to about three cups skimming any foam that rises to the top, about ten minutes. Strain out the heads and shells.
2. In a large piece of cheesecloth, add lemongrass, galangal, and wrap that up tightly to make a sachet and tie it together with kitchen twine.
3. In a small stockpot, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pot, heat over medium-high; add beech mushrooms (with the base cut off), oyster mushroom, sear that for three minutes, occasionally stirring, until browning and your mushrooms are softened. Remove.
4. Add Nam Prik Pao, garlic, Thai chilis, saute that until fragrant for about 30 seconds, add your sachet, add all of your shrimp stock and lime leaves, and then bring it to a light simmer over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms back to the pot, add your shrimp, reduce the heat to low, and cook for two to three more minutes or when your shrimp is fully cooked.
5. Remove the sachet and squeeze any extra juices. Add lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
6. Serve in a bowl, add a bit of the Nam Prik Pao oil (or chili oil), garnish with cilantro leaves.

Fancy Tom Yum:

1. Add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil to a pan and sear scored mushrooms, you can use a weight to press down for even searing, flip, and sear the other side—season with salt.
2. Simmer green onions in water until soft.  Add to a blender with garlic and rice vinegar; blend it on high until smooth, then emulsify with toasted sesame oil and divided vegetable oil until it reaches the desired consistency. Pass it through a strainer, season with salt, and add it to a squirt bottle.
3. Gently take a lobster from a shell while it is still raw (Remove vein). Place the lobster in the same cooking water we used for the scallions, keep the lobster in the water bath till cooked—about three to four minutes. Remove and brush with hot brown butter.
4. Coconut Tom Yum- Mix equal parts of the Tom Yum with coconut cream, pass it through a mesh strainer, and season with salt.
5. Place the lobster tail in the center of the plate. Slice the seared mushroom in half lengthwise, lay it alternating next to the lobster. Add randomized dots of scallion emulsification onto your plate and pour your Tom Yum and coconut cream. Add a  line of furikake on the mushrooms and some dots of chili oil on the Tom Yum cream, and finally some fresh cilantro and basil leaves.