tugas softskill : TOM YUM

Tom yum or tom yam (Lao: ຕົ້ມຍຳ [tôm ɲam]; Thai: ต้มยำ, [tôm jam]) is the name for a spicy clear soup typical in Laos and Thailand. Tom yum is widely served in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and has been popularized around the world. It is listed at number 8 on World's 50 Most Delicious Foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.^[1]
Literally, the words "tom yum" are derived from two Thai words: "tom" and "yum". "Tom" refers to boiling process (soup, in this case). "Yum" refers to a kind of Thai spicy and sour salad. Thus, "tom-yum" is a Thai hot and sour soup. Indeed, tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors, with fragrant herbs generously used in the broth. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and crushed chili peppers.
In neighbouring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the name tom yum is used widely for various spicy soups which can differ greatly from true Thai/Laotian tom yum soup. As a result, people are often confused by the disparities.
Commercial tom yum paste is made by crushing all the herb ingredients and stir frying in oil. Seasoning and other preservative ingredients are then added. The paste is bottled or packaged, and sold around the world. Tom yum flavored with the paste may have different characteristics from that made with fresh herb ingredients.
The 1997 Financial Crisis in Asia, which started in Thailand, is sometimes referred to as the "Tom Yam Kung Crisis"

TOM YUM TYPES

• Tom yum goong or tom yam kung, the version of the dish most popular among tourists is made with prawns as main ingredient.^[3]
• Tom yum goong maphrao on nam khon, a version of prawn tom yum with the meat of a young coconut and a dash of coconut milk.
• Tom yum pla in Thai (tom yum pa in Lao) clear fish soup was traditionally eaten with rice. It used to be the most widespread form of tom yam before mass-tourism came to Thailand, for fresh fish is readily available almost everywhere in the region's rivers, canals and lakes as well as in the sea. Usually fish with firm flesh that doesn't crumble after boiling is preferred for this type of soup.^[4]
• Tom yum gai or tom yam kai is the chicken version of the soup.^[5]
• Tom yum thale in Thai or (tom yum po taek in Lao) is a variant of the soup with mixed seafood, like prawns, squid, clams and pieces of fish. ^[6]
• Tom yum nam khon (Thai: ต้มยำน้ำข้น) is a more recent variation. Almost always made with prawns as a main ingredient, a little coconut milk is added to the broth as a finishing touch, and then balanced with some toasted dried chillies. This adaptation is not to be confused with tom kha gai ("chicken galanga soup"), where galanga is the dominant flavour of the coconut milk-based soup.
• Tom yam kha mu (Thai: ต้มยำขาหมู), made with pork knuckles. These require a long cooking time under low fire.^[7]

In the modern popularized versions the soup contains also mushrooms - usually straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Sometimes Thai chili jam (nam phrik phao, Thai: น้ำพริกเผา) is added: this gives the soup a bright orange color and makes the chili flavor more pronounced. The Royal Lao version of tom yam includes a pinch of rice in the soup.
 

sourced from : wikipedia