Name: Thai Hot and Sour Soup
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings as part of a multi-dish meal
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 6 stalks Lemongrass, trimmed, sliced on diagonal into 3-inch (7.5 cm.) lengths and lightly bruised with blunt object; 3 slices Galangal, sliced ⅛ inch (0.3 cm.) thick; 10 Kaffir lime leaves, bruised; 2 Plum/Roma tomatoes, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) chunks; ½ can (15 oz. or 425 g. can) Straw mushrooms, drained (liquid discarded), halved; ¼ cup Fish sauce (nahm pla); ½ cup Lime juice; ¼ cup Cilantro leaves; 2 lb. (.9 kg.) Medium shrimp, head-on; 2 Tbsp. Thai Chili Jam (nahm prik pow) or store-bought Chili Paste in Soybean Oil; 1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil; 1 tsp. Minced cilantro roots or 1 Tbsp. minced stems 4 to 6 Thai bird chilies stems removed split in half lengthwise; 8 cups (2 L.) Water or broth (seafood or chicken)

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings as part of a multi-dish meal

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Southeast Asian Flavors

By Robert Danhi

Published 2008

About

Aromas of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal waft through the dining arena where this lightly sweet, spicy, brothy treasure is served. On my last journey to the small city of Lumnaria in the Lopburi province of Thailand, the family of one of my former students, Fah Vorarittinapap, showed me how rural Thais add a natural layer of sourness with chopped young tamarind leaves. Alas, we don’t grow tamarind in the West, so we use fresh lime juice.

If you can’t find head-on shrimp