Really easy Tom Yum noodles are saucy, soupy ramen noodles in a Thai inspired Tom Yum flavored broth. Spicy, packed with flavor and so comforting, you’ll make these on repeat!
What are Tom Yum Noodles?
Inspired by the famous Thai Tom Yum soup, these noodles are instant ramen noodles cooked in a Tom Yum broth. The noodles cook so fast in a spicy saucy broth full of aromatic vegetables.
Tom Yum soup is a hot and sour soup, usually with shrimp or prawns, that originated in Thailand. It’s made with a really flavorful and fragrant broth, which uses some key ingredients. Add some noodles to the soup, and you have Tom Yum noodles!
This recipe is adapted from Chrissy Teigan’s Cravings: Hungry for More book, with some changes in the level of heat, and the cooking method so that the noodles don’t overcook. I also added more fish sauce to give more flavor, plus a pinch of sugar to balance the flavor.
What’s so good about these noodles?
They actually comes together really fast. No prawn shells, no fish bones, none of that business. The flavor comes from the fish sauce, the chicken bouillon cubes, and the shrimp itself.
There’s an instant appeal that comes with slurpy noodles in a broth. This is like a super flavorful ramen in a flash. Perfect for colder weather, or for when you feel a tickle in your throat and you need something with a bit of a kick.
This noodle soup feeds a crowd! You’ll get a really big pot out of this.
These are really healthy. A huge bowl will come in at under 300 calories, and it’s full of things that boost immunity, like the ginger and lemongrass.
Ingredients you need for Tom Yum Noodle Soup:
Thai Green Chilis: These are the whole small chili peppers. They are SPICY. I added less than half of the amount Chrissy does and this was still super spicy, so I reflected that amount in my recipe.
Garlic cloves and onions: These will be pureed with the chilis to make a paste. The base that gives the broth all that kick.
Fish sauce: This has such a distinctive umami flavor. You can find this in the Asian food section of any supermarket.
Lemongrass: This woody stalk is packed with zingy, refreshing flavor. It really gives that quintessential Asian feel to this stew.
Kaffir Lime Leaves: These are another classic Thai ingredient. If you can’t find these, you can substitute bay leaves, and also add the zest of 1 lime.
Galangal or Ginger: The original recipe calls for galangal, but I couldn’t find any so I substituted ginger to really good effect.
Canned mushrooms: Much easier to use than fresh mushrooms, and they work so well in this noodle dish.
Cherry tomatoes: They give really nice bursts of flavor. You can substitute roughly chopped tomatoes, or leave them out completely.
Green onions
Shrimp: You can use shrimp or prawns, frozen or fresh. The cooking method is the same! Just make sure they are cleaned and deveined.
Instant ramen noodles: Think Indomie, or any of those instant ramen noodle packs. You don’t need the spice pack or oil pack that comes with them, just the noodles themselves. Go for 2 packages if each pack weights 3 oz, or 3 packs if each weighs 2 oz.
Salt: To taste, you might find the chicken broth and fish sauce are salty enough.
How to make tom yum ramen noodles:
- Make a paste out of the green chilis, garlic, and red onionUsing a food processor, or a mortar and pestle, pulse or smash the green chilis, garlic, and onions into a paste.
- Bring the water and bouillon cubes to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the chili paste to the boiling water along with the fish sauce, lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Uncover, add the green onions and shrimp and simmer until shrimp cooks through. Depending on the size of the shrimp, this could take anywhere between 3-6 minutes.
- Add the instant ramen noodles, and let them simmer just a minute or so until cooked through. They’ll cook fast!
FAQs:
Yes. You’ll need to omit the fish sauce (replace with soy sauce), use veggie stock cubes instead of chicken stock and leave out the shrimp. Will still be packed with flavor!
Yup! Add canned evaporated milk or coconut milk to the broth.
Honestly, even with my adjustments, this was way too spicy for my young kids to eat. I’d classify this as an older kids/adults dish.
For ingredient substitutions, check the ingredient sections.
Prepping these noodles in advance:
You can make the soup and all the veggies in advance (and store in the fridge overnight if you like) Once you are ready to serve, bring soup to a simmer drop in the shrimp until cooked, then add the noodles and cook a further minute or two.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Chrissy Teigan’s Garlic Honey Prawns
Sesame Salmon Soba Noodle Salad
Tom Yum Noodles
Ingredients
- 2-3 Thai chilis, the little spicy green ones depends how spicy you like things, these pack a lot of heat!
- 4 garlic cloves, cut into half
- 1 red onion, cut into a few pieces
- 8 cups water
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into pieces
- 3-4 kaffir lime leaves see notes
- 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 1 can sliced mushrooms 15 oz, 450 g
- big handful cherry tomatoes 12-15 pieces
- 3 green onions, greens thinly sliced and white parts cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 lb cleaned and deveined shrimp, jumbo or regular size see notes
- 2 packets of instant ramen noodles (like Indomie) 3 oz each package
- salt to taste
- chopped cilantro (coriander) for garnish, plus extra sliced chili for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Place the whole Thai green chilis, the red onion and the garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse to blend until smooth. You can also do this with a mortar and pestle.
- Bring the water and bouillon cubes to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the chili paste to the boiling water along with the fish sauce, lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Uncover, add the green onions and shrimp and simmer until shrimp cooks through. Depending on the size of the shrimp, this could take anywhere between 3-6 minutes.
- Add the instant ramen noodles, and let them simmer just a minute or so until cooked through. They'll cook fast!
I love how flavorful this is. And the shrimp…yummy!
Thanks so much Jess!
These are my favorite noodles!
So happy to hear that!
This recipe sounds so good…can’t wait to try it! Would it be okay to skip the shrimp or swap it with chicken? Thanks!
Hello!! Yes definitely, cut the chicken into thin strips so it can cook in the boiling water then add the noodles!
I loved the soup. I skipped the shrimps because we are vegetarians and it was delicious!
Yes it is lovely as a vegetarian soup! Glad you enjoyed!
Love love tom yum! Thx for the recipe – loved that you used Indomie – I will def be doing that the next time I try to make tom yum!
I hope you love it!