Tom Yum Koong

This spring, I took a Thai cooking class with my friend Emily, so the following recipe comes courtesy of the Thai Cultural Club at my alma mater. If you're not familiar with it, tom yum--also known as tom yam or dom yam--is a signature Thai soup that is popular the world over. It has an unusual taste: due to the tom yum paste, the broth is hot, spicy, and sour. You can also make this soup with chicken or mixed seafood instead of shrimp. Really, you can adjust a lot of the ingredients according to your personal preference. Experiment!

Tom yum paste is composed of oil and seasonings like lemongrass, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind, galangal, chili peppers, shallots, and fish sauce. It's very potent; a little goes a long way. You may need to look for tom yum paste at a local Asian food store.

TOM YUM KOONG

serves 2-3 people

1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 tbs tom yum paste
1 tbs garlic
1/2 of a lemongrass stem
4 dried bay leaves
2 cloves of shallot
1 handful of mushrooms
6 or more large shrimp
4 tbs evaporated milk
1 tbs fish sauce
1 1/2 tbs lime juice
Fresh chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

Heat the chicken broth on high heat until it boils. Add the tom yum paste, garlic, lemongrass, bay leaves, and shallots, and stir. Reduce to medium heat. Wait 3 minutes before adding the mushrooms, fish sauce, and lime juice. Add the shrimp and additional fish sauce according to your taste. Let the shrimp cook for no longer than 30 seconds. Ladle the soup and sprinkle it with chopped cilantro leaves, if desired.