Tom Yum Spaghetti with Blue River Prawns

I’ve always loved Thai food, especially Tom Yum soup with its bold aroma of kaffir lime, chili, galangal, and lemongrass. Back in 2017, during a trip to Seoul, I stumbled upon a small fusion bistro in Itaewon where my sister ordered Tom Yum spaghetti. I was surprised such a dish existed—but once we tried it, I was hooked. The zesty Thai flavors paired perfectly with Italian pasta and seafood.

That memory stayed with me, and now I’ve recreated it at home. Instead of making Tom Yum paste from scratch, I used a premade version from an Asian market—it’s still authentic, spicy, and sour, but much easier. This time, I paired it with blue river prawns, and it turned out beautifully.

Full Video instruction here.

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1 handful spaghetti

• 6 blue river prawns, keep the heads and tails for garnish

• 2 tsp Tom Yum paste

• 100–200 ml coconut cream

• 1 tsp sugar (palm sugar preferred, white sugar works too)

• A few cherry tomatoes

• Garlic & shallots, finely minced

• A pinch of salt

• Optional garnish: microgreens, homemade basil herb oil

Instructions

1. Prepare the prawns

• Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and tails for garnish.

• The sweetest, most flavorful taste comes from the prawn heads, so handle them carefully.

• Devein the prawns (remove the “black vein” along the back).

2. Cook the prawns

• Heat a cast iron pan and sear the prawns until they turn bright red/pink.

• If you have access to a charcoal grill, that would give an even smokier, richer taste. Since I live in an apartment, I just pan-sear mine on a cast iron skillet with induction heat—and it’s still delicious.

3. Cook the spaghetti

• Boil water with a pinch of salt, then cook the pasta for about 6 minutes, until al dente.

• Don’t overcook it—you’ll finish it in the sauce.

• You can drain it under cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Make the Tom Yum sauce

• Sauté garlic and shallots in a little oil until fragrant.

• Add 2 spoonfuls of Tom Yum paste with cherry tomatoes. Smash the tomatoes gently to release their juices.

• Pour in coconut cream and stir until the sauce thickens.

• Balance the flavor with a little sugar (palm sugar if available).

5. Combine

• Add the spaghetti (along with a splash of pasta water) to the sauce. Toss well until every strand is evenly coated.

6. Garnish & serve

• Plate the spaghetti with the prawns on top, drizzle with basil herb oil (if available), and garnish with microgreens.

• Enjoy with a glass of wine for a cozy dinner.

Pan-sear blue river prawns with cast iron pan

The spaghetti coated well with tomyum sauce

Let’s assemble spaghetti