Tom yum goong

Ingredients

Quantities for 4 servings.

• 400 g Prawns, heads on, keep the shells
• 1 l Water or stock
• 2 piece Lemongrass, bruised and cut
• 5 slice Galangal
• 5 piece Kaffir lime leaves
• 200 g Mushrooms
• 3 piece Chillies
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Lime juice
• 1 tsp Palm sugar
• to taste Coriander

Method

1. Peel the prawns, leaving the tails on. Keep the shells and heads: the broth is built on them.
2. Fry the shells in the pot for a couple of minutes until bright orange, cover with the water and simmer fifteen minutes. Strain.
3. Return the broth to the heat, add the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves and let them steep at a low simmer for five minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and the crushed chillies, then after two minutes the prawns. They are done the moment they curl into a C — beyond that they turn rubbery.
5. Take the pot off the heat. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar, stir and taste. Adjust a spoon at a time until sour, salty and hot sit where you want them.
6. Ladle into bowls and scatter over the coriander. Leave the lemongrass and galangal in the pot, or warn people not to eat them.