Kung Tom Yam (Thai Prawn Soup)

This soup's broth is so robustly flavored with lemon and hot peppers it will make your taste buds sit up and take notice!

Recipe Ingredients:

2 pounds medium-sized shrimp
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 cups hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
2 stalks lemon grass or 4 strips lemon rind, peeled thinly
4 lemon or other citrus leaves
2 or 3 fresh whole birdseye chiles
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce*
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
4 green onions (green tops included), chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, quartered (optional)
Hot cooked jasmine or other long grain rice for accompaniment

Cooking Directions:

1. Wash, shell (save the shells) and de-vein prawns. Heat oil in large soup pot and sauté shells until they turn pink. Add hot water, salt, lemon grass or rind, citrus leaves and whole chilies. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Strain stock, return to a boil, add prawns and mushrooms (about a minute after the prawns) and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until prawns are cooked.
3. Remove from heat and add fish sauce, lemon juice, cilantro leaves, green onions and the tomato.
4. Suggested Serving: Spoon desired amount of cooked rice into individual serving bowls and ladle hot soup over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

*Fish sauce is available in Asian foods specialty stores, but may also be available on the Asian specialty foods aisle in your local supermarket. If you prepare a lot of stir-fry and Asian dishes , you really should keep this product on hand as a staple in your kitchen.

Tip: This soup should have a pronounced lemon flavor. If needed, adjust the amount of lemon juice to achieve this.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): 207.9 calories; 22% calories from fat; 5.2g total fat; 229.8mg cholesterol; 938.0mg sodium; 576.8mg potassium; 7.3g carbohydrates; 1.3g fiber; 2.5g sugar; 5.9g net carbs; 32.7g protein.

Recipe and photograph by Hope Cantil; Copyright © 1999; property of CooksRecipes.com. See Terms of Use.