Recipe: Thai Hot-and-Sour Shrimp and Lemongrass Soup (Tom Yum Gung)

THAI HOT-AND-SOUR SHRIMP AND LEMONGRASS SOUP
(TOM YUM GUNG)

"This lovely, light soup perfectly reflects the Thai sense of flavor balance. Sour, spicy, sweet and salty all come together for a soup that's as easy as it is flavorful. Because it's simple, it's even more important to balance the flavors correctly, so make sure you taste the soup before you serve it and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Also, the lime leaves, chiles, galangal and lemongrass are present only to flavor the soup, not to be eaten."

6 cups chicken stock
8 wild lime leaves (look for them at Asian markets; if you can't locate, substitute grated zest of 1 lime with the lime juice)
4 small Serrano (or other hot green chile peppers), seeded and quartered lengthwise
1 thumb-size knob ginger root (or galangal), thinly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch sections and bruised
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt to taste

In a large pot, bring stock, lime leaves, chiles, galangal and lemongrass to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add brown sugar and fish sauce; simmer 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and mushrooms; simmer until shrimp are pink and opaque, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Remove lime leaves, chiles, ginger root and lemongrass and discard. Stir lime juice into soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and salt, if necessary. Ladle into heated bowls.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Source: 300 Sensational Soups by Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder