tom yum noodle soup

I have been a bit under the weather the last two weeks, and in grand SEAsian tradition, we've been eating a lot of curries to try and kick it (to the point that I went to hang out with some friends and volunteered to cook laksa for dinner at their house…).

I'd never tried making Tom Yum soup before, so when Danni suggested it as something to try, it was a challenge I was keen to accept. It's got a lot of really homey elements in it for me; because of the moderate Thai influence on Penang cooking, lemon grass, lime kaffir, and coconut feature heavily across Penang dishes.

The tart, lemongrassy flavour, with the spice of the chilli and the bite of the galangal, along with the soup and the noodles, makes this dish perfect for the cold weather, comfort food eating, and helping me shake off this cold.


Tom Yum Noodle Soup



I added some bok choy to this because I wanted the extra vegetables; they're totally optional.

ingredients
1 length lemongrass
small handful lime kaffir leaves
1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small piece (approx 2 cm) galangal, sliced
3 cups veggie stock
100g golden boy mushrooms
handful cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon veggie oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
quarter cup coconut cream
some rice noodles
optional: bok choy

method
Simmer lemon grass, lime kaffir leaves, some dried chilli flakes, garlic and a little bit of sliced galangal in some veggie stock for about half an hour, lid on. Then add some golden boy mushrooms (washed and halved), and do some more simmering. Also add a handful of cherry tomatoes. When this is merrily boiling away, add a tablespoon or so of veggie oyster sauce. Leave to simmer for about twenty minutes. Then reduce heat and add a tablespoon of light soy sauce, and quarter cup of coconut cream. At this point, throw in the bok choy, sliced, if you are adding it. Simmer five minutes longer, lid off, then serve, with noodles, or even without noodles if that's your preference.

(Noodles are the best)