Tom Yum Soup

This one is for my cuddly hubby who happens to adore this dish. It is a yummy, traditional and very popular Thai soup that gets a kick from the chiles and sourness by the vinegar, which are the makings for a tasty treat. I like it with a bit of heat, but not as fiery as my hubby likes it. If he were going to be the only one eating it, I would have added 3 chiles in, but for the sake of keeping my tongue from going numb, I only added two.

You can vary the balance of flavors to suite your taste.

Wine Pairing: Riesling is always a nice compliment to Asian dishes.

Tom Yum Soup

serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 fresh red chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped

6 tbsp rice wine vinegar

6 cups of low sodium chicken broth

2 lemongrass stalks, halved

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar in the raw

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp canola oil

2 chicken breasts cubed (a store bought cooked rotisserie chicken could be used here)

1 14 oz can straw mushrooms, drained

1/2 lb of shitake mushrooms, sliced

4 scallions, chopped ( leave a bit for garnish)

1 head of bok choy, washed and chopped

fresh cilantro for garnish

lime juice for garnish

Directions

Mix the chiles and vinegar together in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Add chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil. Then add the lemongrass, soy sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a preheated wok, add the chicken and stir-fry over hight heat for 2-3 minutes, or until browned . Remove and drain on a paper towels.

Add the chiles and vinegar with the chicken, mushrooms, bok choy and most of the scallions (leave some for garnish) to the stock mixture and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lemongrass stalks at end of cooking.

When ready to serve, garnish with scallions and cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Enjoy!