Tom Yum Soup

This recipe was an accidental success. I made a large batch of prawn stock one day and after I have used some for Seafood Fried Noodles, I still have a quite a lot left.... It was a rainy day and I really feel like having some hot and spicy soup to perk myself up. Tom Yum Soup jumped into my mind.... The result was amazingly rich, spicy, sour soup thanks to the prawn stock...

Ingredients:
Prawn Stock, 2L

Aromatic mix:
Galangal, 1 large piece, peeled & sliced
Lemongrass, 2, flattened with back of knife, cut into pieces
Kaffir Lime, 2, juice squeezed, zest grated
Kaffir Lime Leaves, a bunch
Tomatoes, 4, chopped into quarters
Water, 2 cups

Flavour mix:
Tom Yum Paste, 2-3 tbsp
Lime Cordial, to taste
Thai Fish Sauce, 3 tbsp for taste

Garnish:
straw mushroom, 1/2 can, sliced
prawns, allow 4 per person, shelled, de-veined
parsley, chopped for garnish


Method:
1. Place Aromatic mix(expect the zest of Kaffir lime) in a soup pot, pour in water, bring to the boil, then simmer in medium-low heat for 20 mins to release aromas.

2. pour prawn stock into soup pot, bring to the boil, then turn down heat to simmer for a further 20 mins for flavours to combine.

3. Adjust taste with Tom Yum paste for spiciness, and fish sauce for saltiness, simmer for a further 15 mins. Adjust acidity with lime cordial.

4. Reduce heat to low, gently poach straw mushroom slices and prawns in soup, sprinkle in zest of kaffir lime.

5. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and 1-2 dashes of fish sauce on top of soup for extra flavour.

Note:
- You can increase the richness by pour in a small packet of coconut cream towards the last 5 mins of cooking
- You can use chicken, fish, other seafood instead of prawns
- Kaffir Lime is limau purut in Malay