A Recipe: Tom Yum Goong

This is my all time fave thai dish. Even the kids love it.  It's fragrant, and fresh, easy to make, and really good for your soul. (Also this is a great soup for breastfeeding mamas, lots of ginger and a little less garlic and spice makes for a healthy milk supply! They swear by it in Asia!)

They serve it with quartered tomato in various parts of Thailand - i don't include it in my dish as I find it too sweet tasting, and I prefer a hot and spicy soup.

You will need:

King prawns (optional)

Fresh coriander

Fresh whole lime

2 Lemongrass bulbs

Ginger (about a finger tip of fresh ginger)

Fish sauce (nam pla)

Birdseye chilli x2 (add to taste)

Vegetable or chicken stock about 1 pint

Shallots x 4

3 cloves garlic

Mushrooms (shitaake or your usual variety)

Babycorn

Mange tout

1). Add your stock cube to approx a pint of boiling water in a saucepan. Add crushed garlic, ginger, chop the ends off the lemongrass and crush the bulbous bit with the flat bit of a large knife to release the fragrance, and add to the stock. Finely slice your chilli and shallots and add along with a good glug of fish sauce and bring to a slow boil. 

2). Take heat down to a simmer. Add mushrooms, prawns, mange tout, and baby corn and add more fish sauce according to taste. I use a small amount of chilli and add more as I cook. If yours is too spicy add more water!

3). Squeeze the juice of a fresh lime and add chopped coriander before serving

I serve mine with basmati rice as it makes it a little more substantial for Mr O's evening meal. 

It really is a lovely fragrant soup and the lime juice makes all the difference between a mediocre soup and a blow your socks off amazing taste sensation !