After a meal of spicy Tom Yum soup, I have a craving for sweet food

@scheng1 (24650)
Singapore
May 14, 2017 8:05am CST
Today is a day of spicy and sweet food. I make a large pot of Tom Yum soup (from the paste I bought in Thailand) with sweet corn, chicken wings, button mushroom, and cabbage. I have it for both lunch and dinner. In both meals, I sweat profusely due to the spiciness of the Tom Yum. Tom Yum paste is made from lemongrass, chili, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice and other spices. The usual beverage accompanying a meal of Tom Yum is a glass of iced cold lemongrass or lime juice. That is usually recommended if you go to Thai restaurant. However I do not have lemongrass or lime at home. In the end, I drink a glass of orange juice, followed by a glass of coconut juice, followed by a generous serving of raisins. I just have a strange craving for something sweet.
7 people like this
8 responses
@LadyDuck (457412)
• Switzerland
14 May 17
My husband likes Tom Yum soup, he loves everything spicy, I am not for highly spicy food.
3 people like this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
14 May 17
The surprising thing about this Tom Yum paste is that it is not salty. In fact, it is so plain that the cabbage tastes so sweet.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457412)
• Switzerland
14 May 17
@scheng1 I only find one in an Asian store in Milan (Italy), it's in a plastic pot, it's good.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
@LadyDuck If you have a chance to patronize a Thai restaurant, you can ask if they can sell you the paste. They probably will be happy to do so. I am not sure if you like to try out Laksa instant noodle. Our country produces a brand that is famous worldwide. The cost is not that of instant noodle though, because the manufacturer is also operating a restaurant, and they use technology to sell the paste with the noodle. The quality is good, though not as good as that in the restaurant because restaurant uses fresh ingredients.
Prima Taste offers ethnic delights in the simplest form of ready-to-cook pastes, best Singapore sauces and premixes
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
14 May 17
That Tom Yum sounds really good. I haven't heard of anything like it
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
If you ever have a chance to travel to Far East, you will enjoy the food very much. We have much more varieties of food than your country. Just prepare your taste bud to come and eat. The food are cheap and good. USD 5 per meal is considered expensive in many countries. You can eat a lot of food for less.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
16 May 17
@FayeHazel Once you reach Far East Asia, you will find that so-called Chinese food is further broken down into Cantonese food, Sichuan food, Hokkien (famous for the Hokkien fried mee), Hainanese food (the Hainanese chicken rice is very nice). For Indian food, there are equally many varieties, broadly classified into Northern and Southern food.
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
15 May 17
@scheng1 I am sure I would enjoy the food a lot! Oh reasonable prices would be nice. Now days, here, even fast food can run $10 a meal for "cheap" food. Eek. I love trying new food. I like Chinese (though I think what we have here has been "Americanized") - Thai, Indian....
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28644)
• Mauritius
15 May 17
I have never tastes Tom Yum soup before. In fact i can't really eat spicy foods. Will Tom Yum still be good if you do not include the chilli
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28644)
• Mauritius
16 May 17
@scheng1 this soup seems so.tasty
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
The paste contains chili, so it is not as if I can just take out the chili. The soup is sour and spicy, and you can taste the lime and the lemongrass. I dilute it so that I can have it for both dinner and lunch. If I want it really thick and spicy, I can only have it for lunch.
1 person likes this
@prashu228 (37526)
• India
14 May 17
This happens with me often, when ever I eat spicy food feel like eating sweet after that and vice versa , never got the concept
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
I also do not understand the reason behind it. It seems that when we eat plain and ordinary food, we are all right. Once we have spicy food, we need to have sweet food. Too much of sweet and spicy food cannot be good for our body.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
14 May 17
I love Tom Yum and make it - probably from the same paste that you mention.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
Probably not from the same paste! The Tom Yum paste I used was bought in Thailand, and very different from that sold in supermarkets in my country. For one thing, the Tom Yum paste is not salty. Those sold in supermarkets are salty. The basic ingredients will be the same though. The combined taste of lemongrass and lime are great!
@YrNemo (20261)
16 May 17
Tom Yum soup is quite nice. I like that dish. (It could be too hot/spicy for me at times...)
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
16 May 17
I dilute it so that I can have it for both lunch and dinner. I think the paste is meant for just 1 meal. I really enjoy it, though I use chicken and corn instead of prawns, fish and other seafood.
1 person likes this
@youless (112100)
• Guangzhou, China
15 May 17
I also tried the Tom Yum soup when I travelled to Thailand. I remember I bought the ingredients to home. If you want to let the spicy feeling go soon, I heard that the milk will be a better choice. But I think coconut juice also works the same
@youless (112100)
• Guangzhou, China
15 May 17
@scheng1 In fact Tom Yum soup is already not that spicy compares to Sichuan food. You travelled Sichuan before. How do you think about its spicy food?
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
@youless Sichuan Mala hot pot is really spicy, and when you go toilet the next day, the whole toilet is full of the Mala smell!
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
15 May 17
@youless Milk is not used in Tom Yum. If we add more water to dilute the soup, the soup will not be spicy. Coconut milk or milk are used for curry or Thai green curry, but not Tom Yum. I think many people just drink more iced lime juice or eat more rice to get rid of the spiciness.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
14 May 17
I would love to taste off of that!
1 person likes this