Recipe: Shrimp in Hot Lime Leaf Broth

Shrimp in
Hot Lime Leaf Broth

Tom yum gung
Thailand
Serves 4 with rice and one or more other dishes

Shrimp in Hot Lime Leaf Broth Like the other sour soups in the region, Tom yum gung sparks the appetite. Serve it with a mild or slightly sweet dish such as Chicken and Potato Curry or Stir-fried Yunnan Ham and a simple cooked vegetable such as Classic Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry orYunnan Greens (see the book for recipes).

3 cups mild chicken broth
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, smashed flat
with the side of a cleaver, and
cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths
3 fresh or frozen wild lime leaves
3 bird chiles, stemmed and cut lengthwise in half
1/4 pound oyster mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1/2 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, or more to taste
Salt, if needed

Place the broth in a medium pot with the lemongrass and bring to a boil. Add the lime leaves and chiles, bring the broth back to a boil, and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, return to a vigorous boil, and add the shrimp. Cook for 1 minute, or until the shrimp have turned pink.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings with fish sauce or salt if you wish. Serve in small individual bowls to accompany jasmine rice, distributing the shrimp and mushroom pieces evenly among the bowls.

Buy the Book!

Hot Sour Salty Sweet
A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia
By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Artisan, November 2000
Hardback, $40.00
368 pages, full-color throughout, over 175 recipes
ISBN: 1-57965-114-3
Recipe reprinted by permission.