Tom Yum Koong Soup

Recipe status: stable

This is a thin modification of a Tom Yum Koong Soup recipe from allrecipes.com. I've rewritten it to clean up the directions a little (which were incomplete, at least for us white folk) and adjust it for what I do. Keep in mind I'm just some white guy who barely saw a chili pepper until he was old enough to vote—if your mother makes something similar, her's is probably better.

Serves 4.

• 1/2 lb medium (40-50 count) shrimp, deveined (peel and save shells)
• 5-6 C water (adjust to taste before serving)
• 2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 4 slices ginger
• 4 red Thai (prig) chilis, split open or slice for more heat
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp hot chili paste
• 1 tbsp tom yum soup paste
• ~2 C mushrooms, halved
• 1 398 mL (14 oz) can straw mushrooms (halved or whole), drained
• fresh cilantro
• steamed rice

1. In a sauce pan, combine the water with the shells and heads (if available) of the shrimp. Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for another 20 minutes. Strain out the shells and heads.
2. Add the lemon grass, lime leaves, ginger, chili, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chili paste and soup paste in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids and return the liquid to the sauce pan.
3. Add the shrimp bodies and all of the mushrooms. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.