tom yum.

Toam Yum is one of my favorite things on the planet. I love the smell, the color, the flavor...everything. It's also one of the most easily made and customizable soups out there. 

 

It's so simple, the key is to buy tom yum paste. A couple spoonfuls mixed into three cups of water is fantastically simple and delicious, but it's easy to gourmet-it-up a bit and create something totally unique and enjoyable. You can put any vegetables you like in the soup, any protein you like, whatever you have on hand or are craving. I personally keep a container of extra firm tofu in our refrigerator all the time, I think it's a perfect complement for the soup. Seriously though, you can put anything in it. The only constant for me is my method and mushrooms. Here are the moves.

Toam Yum soup.

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup shitakes, sliced

1 3" piece of lemongrass

2 tablespoons tom yum paste

3 cups of water

1 package of fresh tofu, cubed

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1-2 fresh thai chiles, sliced

a squeeze of lemon

Start with a small amount of oil in a saucepot and saute one minced clove of garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Toss in some thinly sliced mushrooms, shitake or crimini work nicely (the traditional straw mushrooms can be purchased at Asian super markets or online). Cook the mushrooms for a couple minutes and add two big spoonfuls of the tom yum paste. Cook the tom yum paste for a few minutes to caramelize the paste just a bit. Add the water and lemongrass, bring to a simmer. Add the tofu and simmer for twenty minutes.

Finish the soup with a bit of fish sauce, a few thai chiles and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

I like to serve tom yum with some brown rice or rice noodles.

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