Lemongrass Soup

Photo: flickr user swanksalot

Ingredients

3 cups water or chicken stock

1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 4″ pieces and smashed

6 whole (double) torn kaffir lime leaves

3 teaspoons slices galangal (about ½

20 smalls thai chilies, to taste

2 cups mixed mushrooms (straw mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, black

1 tomato, cut into 8 pieces lengthwise

2 tablespoons white soy sauce

1 teaspoon white sugar (or to taste)

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 stems coriander, cleaned and roughly chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

4 shrimp, cooked skinned, cleaned and tail off

Preparation

Add the water/stock to a sauce pan. Crush the lemongrass and cilantro root in a stone mortar & pestle or with the butt of a knife, then add them to the water. Tear the lime leaves to release flavor, and throw them in too along with the galangal.

Turn on your heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Boil your herbs for about 5 minutes or so, to release the flavors. The color of the water should be a light green when you’re finished. Strain liquid and return to pot.

Add the mushrooms, and chilies and boil for 2-3 more minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

Add the sliced tomato, and cook until soft, probably less than a minute.

Turn off the heat. Add your soy sauce, sugar, and at the very end the lime juice. Taste to make sure the flavor is right… It should be very sour & spicy. You may need to add more lime juice depending on how sour your limes are.

Transfer to a bowl and garnish with one cooked shrimp and cilantro leaves.