Turkey Tom Yum Lets Your Leftover Turkey Live to Thai Another Day (Patreon)

We're still working our way through a week of post-thanksgiving leftover turkey recipes. This time we turn to Thailand to make a turk-ified version of one of my favorite soups of all time: Tom Yum Nam Khon, the creamy version of Thailand’s classic hot-and-sour Tom Yum soup. Despite its complex flavors, Tom Yum is an incredible fast and simple soup to make, so long as you have access to the ingredients. From the polling results I did of the Frienji's Cookbook Club members a couple weeks back, it seems that finding things like lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaf are not out of the realm of possibility for most of you. Here in Seattle I find them regularly at Asian markets like Uwajimaya or Asian Family Mart.While classic tom yum is made with shrimp or chicken, but turkey actually works incredibly well, especially if you’ve already made a turkey stock (my general first move right after the Thanksgiving meal). Because turkey carcasses and bones are so full of connective tissue, they make an especially rich, gelatin-packed broth, giving the soup depth and texture even before you've started layering the aromatics.

This version follows the same general structure as the one my friend Pailin from Hot Thai Kitchen teaches, with a few deviations to accommodate Thanksgiving leftovers and my own personal taste. You get the classic trio of lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaf, plus bird chilies, shallot, tomato, and at the end, a splash of coconut milk (which I prefer to evaporated milk) to turn it into the nam khon (“creamy”) style. While poultry-based versions of tom yum don't typically include nam prik pao—Thai chili jam made with shrimp, chilies, shallots, garlic, sugar, and oil—I like using it for the extra umami, spice, and sweetness it brings. If you don't have a jar of it, don't worry about it, your soup will still be delicious.

If you don’t have turkey, you can swap in rotisserie chicken and use the bones to make a quick stock — or follow Pai’s tom yum goong method with shrimp shells. But if you do have leftover turkey, this is one of the best ways I know to transform it into something bright, spicy, fragrant, and completely different from the holiday meal.

Recipe: Leftover Turkey Tom Yum Nam Khon

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 45 minutesNotes: If you can't find makrut lime leaf, you can use the leaves from other citrus, such as mandarins, clementines, or lemons, often available free for the picking at your local supermarket.

Ingredients

For the broth:

4 cups (1 liter) turkey or chicken stock, preferably gelatin-rich

3–4 slices fresh galangal (¼-inch thick)

1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 5–6 inches only, tough outer layers removed and stalk lightly smashed with the back of a knife

4–6 makrut lime leaves, center vein born out

1 to 5 Thai bird chilies, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle or chopped with a knife

1 small shallot, halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed in a mortar or pestle or the side of a knife

Mushroom stems and trimmings (optional)

For the soup:

4 oz (115g) mushrooms (shimeji, oyster, straw, or shiitake), separated or sliced, stems and trimmings saved for the broth

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 Roma tomato, cut into wedges

1–2 tablespoons Thai chlii jam (nam prik pao)

1–2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste

1–2 limes, halved

½ can (about ¾ cup / 180ml) coconut milk or evaporated milk, well shaken

Sugar to taste

6–8 oz (170–225g) cooked turkey meat, shredded

To Serve:

Cilantro leaves

Extra sliced Thai chilies (optional)

Method

Build the aromatic broth: Combine stock, galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, crushed bird chilies, crused garlic, and halved shallot in a medium saucepan. Add mushroom stems if using. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a bare simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the broth is deeply aromatic. Use a spider or fine mesh strainer to remove the solids from the broth and discard. Return the broth to a gentle simmer.

Add the vegetables: Add the mushrooms, sliced shallot, and tomato. Simmer until the mushrooms are tender and the tomatoes begin to slump, about 5–7 minutes.

Season and add the turkey: Stir in the Thai chili jam, fish sauce, and lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add more chili jam or sliced or crushed Thai chilies for heat, fish sauce for saltiness/umami, lime juice for acidity, or sugar for sweetness to taste. Stir in the turkey

Add the coconut milk: Stir in the coconut milk and let it heat just until the broth looks creamy and unified. Taste and adjust the flavor one last time

6. Serve: Ladle into bowls and finish with cilantro and extra chilies (optional, depending on how hot you like it).