Thai Tom Yum Risotto Recipe
4 October 2025
Recipes - Main Course - Thai
This is a recipe that I’m really proud of — a Thai Tom Yum risotto my mother and I came up with together. While she was visiting me, I was teaching her how to make risotto, and she came up with the brilliant idea of infusing it with authentic Tom Yum flavors. The first part of the recipe starts with a proper Thai Tom Yum, which you could totally enjoy on its own — or take it a step further and turn it into this East-meets-West fusion risotto. If you love fusion recipes, I hope you enjoy this one just as much as we loved creating it.
Time: 1.5 hours
Serves: 4 people
Cuisine: Thai
INGREDIENTS
Tom Yum Stock
15 medium shrimp (about 350 g), peeled and deveined, heads and shells reserved for stock
250–300 g squid, cleaned and cut into bite-sized rings, tentacles kept
2 bulbs galangal, 7-10 rounds thinly sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, cut into 5–6 cm (2-inch) pieces, lightly bruised
12–15 kaffir lime leaves, torn for aromatics
4–5 Thai red chilies (prik chee fah), lightly bruised
4 coriander roots, well cleaned, left whole (see notes)
1 cup shimeji mushrooms
1.5L boiling water
1 tbsp avocado oil
½ tsp salt
2–3 tbsp Thai chili paste (Nam Prik Pao)
1 cube palm sugar (about 1 inch) — or substitute 1 tbsp regular sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes (about ¼ cup)
Risotto
2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the seafood. Trim sharp tips and feelers from the shrimp. Remove heads and shells (reserve them for stock), devein, and keep tails on if desired. Clean the squid by removing the insides, cartilage, and thin outer skin; slice into rings. Set aside.
Start the stock. Heat 1 tbsp avocado oil in a stock pot over high heat. Add shrimp heads and shells and cook until they turn vibrant orange and caramelize slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add aromatics. Pour in 1.5 L boiling water, then add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and coriander roots. Bring to a boil.
Season the broth. Stir in salt, Thai chili paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
Strain and finish. Remove shells and aromatics. Return broth to pot. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook just until pink, then remove immediately to prevent overcooking. Set seafood and mushrooms aside.
Cook the risotto base. In a wide pan, melt 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add arborio rice and toast for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly nutty.
Deglaze. Pour in ½ cup white wine (if using) and stir until the liquid is nearly absorbed and alcohol evaporates.
Add stock gradually. Ladle in hot Tom Yum stock a ladle at a time, stirring and allowing each addition to absorb before adding more. Continue for 18–20 minutes until the rice is creamy but still al dente.
Finish the risotto. Stir in lime juice teaspoon by teaspoon until you’ve reached your desired flavor, then gently fold in the reserved mushrooms, shrimp, and squid.
Serve. Garnish with a generous amount of fresh basil, coriander and the chilies - enjoy!
NOTES
Galangal: If you can’t find galangal, you can use ginger instead, but it will change the final flavor — it won’t have that same earthy, citrusy note that’s key to Tom Yum.
Palm sugar: Substitute with any sugar of your choice — coconut sugar, brown sugar, or even white sugar all help balance the heat, sourness, and saltiness of the Tom Yum.
Kaffir lime leaves: If unavailable, use the zest of a lime to bring a similar brightness and citrus aroma.
Thai chili paste (Nam Prik Pao): Look for roasted Thai chili paste at Asian grocers or online, you can even make it yourself but it’s a lot of work imo.
Coriander root: Authentic to Thai cooking and one of Mum’s secret ingredients. If you can’t find roots, use the lower stems of coriander or omit completely.
Mushrooms: We used shimeji mushrooms for their texture, but any mushroom variety (oyster, button, or enoki) will work.
White wine: Adds depth and acidity to the risotto, but it’s optional — just skip it if you don’t cook with alcohol.
