This delicious soup is popular worldwide and quite deservedly. However most home cooks don't realise how simple it is to make, and how much more tasty the home made version can be! The ingredients can be sourced quite readily.
Try it, you'll be surprised!
Ingredients
500 g medium sized fresh prawns
3 stalks lemon grass
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander root
5 peppercorns
1/2 thumb sized piece of galangal (or ginger)
3 small fresh red chillies, finely sliced
4 small fresh green chillies
5 kaffir lime leaves
75 ml vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
freshly shredded coriander leaves
160 g straw mushrooms
1.25 litres fresh chicken stock
a handful of basil leaves
Firstly shell and de-vein the fresh prawns, leaving the tails intact. Retain the heads and the shells.
Take the lemon grass and beat a couple of times to start releasing the flavours and then chop into 3 cm lengths. Place the garlic, the coriander root and peppercorns into a mortar and pound into a smooth paste. Now very finely slice the galangal, the chillies and the lime leaves separately and set to one side.
Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the prawn heads and shells for 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately add the chicken stock and bring up to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. pass the stock through a fine sieve and set to one side.
Now fry the prepared paste with the lemon grass, the sliced galangal and lime leaves in the wok for perhaps 90 seconds and pour the strained stock back into the wok. Place in the prawns and straw mushrooms and cook for a maximum of 3 minutes, finally adding the lime juice, the freshly sliced red chillies and the coriander leaves.
Garnish with 1 or 2 basil leaves and serve immediately to your eager guests!
A great starter or can form part of a thai banquet!
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