Instructions: Wash the prawns and shell them without removing the tails. Pour the water into a pan. Add the shallots, lemon grass, fish sauce and galanga root. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the prawns and mushrooms, and cook until the prawns turn pink.

Add the lime leaves, lime juice and chili peppers. Cover and remove from the heat. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and chopped spring onion and serve hot.

Comments: Note that a rather simple and effective way to make this dish is with a ready-made tom yum paste. ImportFood.com has two options for you. We recommend you order our Instant Tom Yum Paste, imported from Thailand and a very good quality product. Add two tablespoons Tom Yum Paste to three cups boiling water, add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, add mushrooms and prawns, add 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, add 5 to 7 Thai chile peppers and onions, and serve garnished with cilantro.

An alternative to Tom Yum Paste is our Tom Yum Cubes which you can use to make the above soup. Both alternatives also add fragrant, delicious Tom Yum flavor to just about any kind of noodles, and both are quite popular in creating "fusion" type Pan-Asian foods blending Thai and western foods.

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