Tom Yum Nam Khon
ต้มยำน้ำข้น
Tom Yum Nam Khon is the creamy version of tom yum — the classic hot and sour prawn soup enriched with evaporated milk or coconut milk, creating a richer, less sharp broth than the clear version.
Cultural Origin
Tom Yum Nam Khon is the 'creamy' variant of tom yum, in which the classic sour-spicy shrimp soup is enriched with evaporated milk or coconut cream, a 20th-century Bangkok refinement. It is widely associated with mid-century Thai-Chinese seafood restaurants and is now one of the most internationally recognized Thai dishes.
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- prawns
- lemongrass
- galangal
- evaporated milk
- fish sauce
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
The evaporated milk or coconut cream rounds off tom yum's sharp edges into something thicker and more savoury, closer to a chowder than the clear version's sharp broth.
How Tom Yum Nam Khon Is Made
- 1
Build the clear base
The broth starts the same way as clear tom yum, simmered with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf.
- 2
Add prawns
Prawns are added and simmered until just cooked.
- 3
Stir in the cream
Evaporated milk or coconut cream is stirred in once the prawns are cooked, brought back to a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil.
- 4
Add chilli paste
A spoonful of roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao) is often stirred in at this stage, giving the broth its characteristic orange-red colour.
- 5
Season and serve
Fish sauce and lime juice are adjusted at the end to keep the sourness present under the richer body.
When It’s Eaten
Chosen over the clear version by diners who find nam sai too sharp; served the same way, as a shared main with rice, at any time of day.
How to Order It
- ต้มยำน้ำข้นกุ้ง
- tom yum nam khon goong
- creamy prawn tom yum
- ไม่ใส่นม
- mai sai nom
- no milk
- เผ็ดปานกลาง
- phet pan klang
- medium spicy
What people get wrong
Assuming the creamy version is the more traditional or 'proper' tom yum — nam khon is a later addition to a soup that started, and still exists, as a clear broth.
Where to Try It
Thai restaurants throughout the country — specify 'nam khon' (thick water/creamy) versus 'nam sai' (clear water) when ordering.
Tips
- The creamy version is popular with those who find the clear tom yum too sour — the milk rounds off the acidity while keeping the aromatic herbs prominent.