Thai Spicy Sweet and Sour Soup

This soup can be a labor of love if you want to make everything from scratch (chili paste) but I added some short cuts with a twist so you can achieve a flavorful satisfying soup without too many steps.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Broth

• 1 Tbsp Coconut oil or olive oil

• 1/2 lb Shrimp (shelled and deveined, use shells for broth and save shrimp in refrigerator for later

• 2 stalks Lemongrass ( smashed with the back of a knife an cut into 3 inch pieces)

• 2 Carrots rough chop

• 1 Onion rough chop

• 2 Celery stalks rough chop

• 1 Large nob of ginger (3 large coins sliced, 1 Tbsp minced for later)

• 5 Kafir Lime Leaves

• 2 Serrano chilies, sliced in half (remove ribs and seeds for less heat but i throw the whole thing in)

• Mushroom water

• Cilantro stems

• 1 cup white wine (Riesling preferred but any white will do)

  (A dry style Riesling makes a great accompaniment to spicy food, I like anything from Washington. Use a cup for cooking and enjoy sipping on the rest!)

• 2 Qts cold water, 64 oz

  Broth Directions:

  Peel and devein the shrimp. In a large stock pot or soup pot saute shrimp shells in coconut oil over medium high heat until golden brown. Add onion, carrot and celery aka mirepoix and saute until soft about 5-7 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook another 2 minutes on med high heat until slightly reduced. Add all other ingredients except mushroom water to the pot and bring to low simmer. Allow broth to simmer gently uncovered on low heat for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour. Add mushroom water after broth has simmered and reduced.

  Broth will reduce almost by half and intensify flavor, just make sure it doesn’t reduce too much. You want enough broth to make your soup!

  Taste broth and season with a pinch of salt. Strain and set aside.

  Soup Ingredients:

• 1 oz dried Lobster Mushrooms preferred, (any dried will do or you can substitute 2 cups slice fresh mushrooms) If using dried mushrooms place in a bowl of warm water and let plump up for 20 minutes. Strain off mushroom water and save for broth

• 2 Tomatoes small dice

• 2 Tbsp Sambal (chili paste)

• 1 Tbsp minced ginger

• 3 Cloves minced garlic

• 3 Juicy limes

• 2 Tbsp Fish sauce

• Sriacha (your call)

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar or white sugar

• Minced Cilantro

• Minced Thai Basil or regular basil is fine

• Remaining broth

  Soup Directions:

  In the same empty stock pot saute mushrooms in coconut oil until golden brown. Add Sambal chili paste, garlic and ginger and stir for one minute until perfumed and bloomed. Add tomatoes, sugar and fish sauce and stir another 3 minutes. Things should be looking saucy and smelling good. Add your broth and stir. Add lime juice and taste for seasoning. You are going for spicy, sweet and sour so adjust to your liking. This is where I add a squeeze of sriacha to round out the flavors. Taste for salt and adjust.

Once your broth is to your liking add the shrimp just before serving. It will poach in the soup and cook in about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Serve and top with minced cilantro and basil, lime wedges and extra chilies if you like! You should sweat a little while you slurp.

Enjoy with the rest of your wine or a nice cold beer!