KITCHEN MAGIC

Thai Hot & Sour Soup

By DAVID SPITZER
Special to the Saipan Tribune

In the late 90s I had the pleasure of working in Phuket, Thailand. The range of food was incredible, from Banana Flower Salad to the spicy curries that my staff created. This food will always influence my cooking style and touch my menus to this day: Red Curry Duck, Pad Thai (stir fried noodles), Green Papaya Salad, and other dishes the average person may think they could never reproduce. Hot-and-sour shrimp soup, a favorite, is on virtually every menu around the world and, unlike some of the complex curries, is not difficult to make at home. Thanks to the profusion of local Asian markets, and to the sizable Asian ingredient selection in many supermarkets, Saipan residents don’t have to go far to find ingredients essential to this aromatic soup.

Makes 6 servings

3/4 lb (375g) large fresh shrimp (prawns), peeled and de-veined, with tail segments intact and shell reserved
3 lemongrass stalks
5 thin slices galangal, about π inch (6mm) thick
3 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1/3 lb (5oz/155g) fresh white mushrooms, brushed clean, stem ends trimmed, and caps quartered
1 tomato, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
1/4 small yellow onion, cut into thin lengthwise slivers
4 teaspoons Thai roasted chili paste
2 small fresh red or green chilies such as Thai or Serrano
1/4 cup (2fl oz/60ml) fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1/4 cup (1/3 oz/10g) chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)

In a saucepan, combine the shrimp shells with 5 cups (40fl oz/1.25l) water. Discard the upper leafy part of each lemongrass stalk and cut off the tough end of the bulb. Remove the tough outer layer of the stalks. Cut the remainder into 1-inch (2.5cm) lengths and smash them with a flat side of a heavy knife or cleaver blade. Add them to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover partially, and simmer gently for 15 minutes to create a flavorful stock. Remove from the heat and strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve.

Pour the stock into a clean saucepan and add the galangal, lime leaves, fish sauce, mushrooms, tomato, onion, and chili paste. Remove the stems from the fresh chilies, then quarter the chilies lengthwise. Add as many of the quarters to the stock as you like; you may want to start with just a few.

Place the pan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer gently until the mushrooms are barely tender, about 2 minutes. Taste halfway through and add more chili quarters if the soup is not spicy enough. Stir in the shrimp and simmer just until they turn pink, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the 1/4 cup lime juice and the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lime juice. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve at once.

Serve with Thai beer such as Singha.

David Spitzer is the executive chef of the Fiesta Resort & SPA Saipan.