Aly-style Tom Yum soup

[GirlinContempt]

4-5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tbs Tom Yum paste (I usually eyeball it and check the spiciness later)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 or 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
2-4 kaffir lime leaves
2 breasts chicken, or equivalent pork
approx 1 cup thinly sliced or broken mushrooms
1 c Thai Jasmin rice
1 1/2 tbs fish sauce (nam pla, made from salted fermented fish)
1 1/2 tbs lime juice
1-2 tsp chopped green chiles
2 or 3 tablespoons of sliced bamboo shoots or coconut shoots
3-4 pieces pickled thai ginger, sliced thin (I actually leave them thick)
OPTIONAL - seaweed, chopped leeks, chopped fresh cilantro & basil (garnish), cabbage... a million other things

Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add Tom Yum paste and garlic, cook 2-3 mins. Add lemon grass, roll kaffir leaves and gently crush, add kaffir leaves, add chicken or pork & rice. Cook 5-10 mins or until meat is cooked.

Add mushrooms, nam pla, lime juice, chile, bamboo shoots, pickled ginger & leeks/seaweed. Cook an additional 5-10 mins.

Serve, garnish with cilantro & basil (fresh only)

If you prefer more spice, add additional chile, Tom Yum paste, and lemon grass. Careful though, this recipe is pretty spicy as is.

Hopefully this batch turns out well. It smells soooooo good. Thought I'd share ;)

EDIT:
Use coconut milk instead of water to make tom kha

[GirlinContempt]

1. mmmm it IS good

but if you add any more spice you're CRAZY.
WARNING taste it at least three times before adding more spice, it needs a little kick-in time

[Magrittes Pipe]

2. Who is Tom?

:D

[GirlinContempt]

3. Oh ho ho, veeeeery clever

To be serious though, I'm not sure where the Tom comes from... I know the yum is the kind of flavour (salty, spicy and sour)

hmmmm odd

[Magrittes Pipe]

4. I do love tom yum soup.

Still, the name concerns me. Such as the Thai manner of referring to duck as "pet." I don't want to eat pet birdies! :(

[GirlinContempt]

5. Awwww

you poor sensitive soul :(

You should try making my Tom Yum soup and let me know what you think

[GirlinContempt]

14. Tom means soup or broth

literally, it means boil/boiled

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Come cook for me...

I'm hungry and incapable of cooking anything that sounds that good.

[GirlinContempt]

7. I didn't know you liked Thai

or spicy food ;)

And, to toot my own horn, I have never tasted better in a Thai restaurant

[ghostsofgiants]

8. Not sure if I like Thai...

But I do like spicy. And that soup sounds tasty.

[GirlinContempt]

13. Someday I'll make it for ya

:)

[ghostsofgiants]

17. I'm gonna hold you to that

:)

[GirlinContempt]

19. Ok then

Nice INC sigline :P

[bridgit]

9. there's GirlinContempt, been wonder'n...

where'ya been, Hon :hi:

[GirlinContempt]

11. ohhhh

just really busy

[eyesroll]

10. I made some Tom Kha last night!

I took a Thai cooking class this month -- last night was Tom Kha, egg rolls, red curry, and ginger chicken. Also an aborted Pad Thai -- the electric wok stopped working.

Last week was crab wonton, Pud See Ew, masaman curry and spring rolls, all of which (except the wonton) I've cooked in the interim, too.

I love Thai food!

[GirlinContempt]

12. mmmm sounds good!

I love Thai too

[GirlinContempt]

15. yummy recipe kick

[billyskank]

16. How you doing GirlinC!

:hug:

[GirlinContempt]

18. Hey dude

:hug: could be better could be worse
you?

[billyskank]

20. Aw, I'm ok thanks!

:loveya: