Vegetarian Tom Yum Thai Soup

Ingredients

Preparation

Wash the lemongrass, cut each stalk intp 2-inch pieces and bruise the pieces with a hammer.

Peel the galangal using a paring knife and slice the root.

Strain the tofu, then cut into 1 1/2 inch cube pieces. Set aside in a plate.

In a stock pot, mix the vegetable broth, the water, lemongrass, peppercorns, kaffir lime leaves, ginger and galanga. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve. Discard the aromatics but keep one stalk of lemongrass, a few galangal slices and a few kaffir lime leaves for presentation in your soup tureen at the end. Pour the strained broth back into the stock pot and add the rocks of sugar (sugar should dissolve), then the soy sauce. The secret is to balance the sweetness and the saltiness. Don't over salt! Bring to a boil again for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and lime juice. Lower the heat.

In a small pan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and add the shitake mushrooms. Cook for about 3-4 minutes then add the enoki mushrooms. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same pan, add the rest of the oil, add the chopped garlic and the chili pieces. Cook until slightly golden. Add the tom yum paste and a ladle-ful of the broth. Pour all the contents of the saucepan into the big stock pot. The broth should be fragrant and properly seasoned.

Bring the soup back to a boil then add all the mushrooms and cubed tofu. After adding the ingredients, the broth may cool down a bit. Let it come back to a  boil for a last time, then remove the pot from the stove. Add sesame oil, cilantro. It's ready! Serve immediately. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro on the side.

Bon appétit!

Tips

To get a nice sweet spicy ginger fragance, I place a grill on the stove and char the piece of ginger. Rinse and wash the piece under running water, then bruise/crush the ginger using a hammer.

You can add oyster or/and king mushrooms to the broth. I didn't because my husband's not so keen of these varieties.

If you cannot find fresh straw mushrooms, you can use the canned version. It is sold in 8-ounce can version. Drain and rinse the mushrooms.

To make it non-vegetarian, substitute the vegetable broth with chicken broth. Lightly saute 1 dozen deveined and shelled shrimp in garlic and chicken breast. Add the combination to the broth at the last minute. Cover for 5 minutes and it's ready.

The only soy sauce that I like for making broth is the Da Bo De brand. It has a very nice flavor and is not too salty. Make sure the bottle says chay, which means vegetarian in Vietnamese if you want to make you soup veggie.

I like making my own Tom Yum paste. The store-bought one usually contains shrimp paste, bonito flakes and is often not suitable for vegetarians. And besides, fresh ingredients taste better!

I use the Golden Gate Tofu brand, the texture is not grainy and is excellent for the broth.

I'm very lucky to get the kaffir lime leaves from my orchard. It's very useful and smells so nice. If you have the space to plant a kaffir lime tree, go for it, it's a good investment if you're into Asian cooking.

Check out my sweet and sour pineapple soup as well that contains kaffir lime leaf as well.

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