I pulled out my old "Cooks Illustrated" magazines and started reading them for the SAVORY recipes this time as opposed to DESSERTS, which are my comfort zone. Lots of good information that I now feel brave enough to try (Cheap thrill: they prepare "salmon for a party" the same way I bake my fish. And I figured that out all on my own.)
Back in 2001 (or thereabout) CI was reviewing recipe book Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet and their standard test is to try 10 recipes and base their recommendation on that. They ended up making 30 recipes and the Tom Yum soup was made over and over again.
Haven't tried it yet, but will soon as I have every ingredient except the oyster mushrooms (and I found a local source for those). Read this last night and thought of you.
Tom Yum Gung
(Shrimp in Hot Lime Leaf Broth -- Thailand)
From Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan, $40).
3 cups mild chicken broth
2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed, smashed flat with the side of a cleaver, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
3 fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves
3 bird chiles, stemmed and cut lengthwise in half
1/4 pound oyster mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1/2 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, or more to taste
Salt to taste
Place the broth in a medium pot with the lemon grass and bring to a boil. Add the lime leaves and chiles, bring the broth back to a boil, and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, return to a vigorous boil, and add the shrimp. Cook for 1 minute, or until the shrimp have turned pink.
Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice and fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings with fish sauce or salt if desired. Serve in small individual bowls to accompany jasmine rice, distributing the shrimp and mushroom pieces evenly among the bowls.
Serves 4 with rice and one or more other dishes.
http://www.shashek.com/Recipes/DataFiles/Soup/hold.recipes/Soup_-_Tom_Yum_Gung_-_Shrimp_In_Hot_Lime_Leaf_Broth.shtml
Back in 2001 (or thereabout) CI was reviewing recipe book Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet and their standard test is to try 10 recipes and base their recommendation on that. They ended up making 30 recipes and the Tom Yum soup was made over and over again.
Haven't tried it yet, but will soon as I have every ingredient except the oyster mushrooms (and I found a local source for those). Read this last night and thought of you.
Tom Yum Gung
(Shrimp in Hot Lime Leaf Broth -- Thailand)
From Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan, $40).
3 cups mild chicken broth
2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed, smashed flat with the side of a cleaver, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
3 fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves
3 bird chiles, stemmed and cut lengthwise in half
1/4 pound oyster mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1/2 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, or more to taste
Salt to taste
Place the broth in a medium pot with the lemon grass and bring to a boil. Add the lime leaves and chiles, bring the broth back to a boil, and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, return to a vigorous boil, and add the shrimp. Cook for 1 minute, or until the shrimp have turned pink.
Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice and fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings with fish sauce or salt if desired. Serve in small individual bowls to accompany jasmine rice, distributing the shrimp and mushroom pieces evenly among the bowls.
Serves 4 with rice and one or more other dishes.
http://www.shashek.com/Recipes/DataFiles/Soup/hold.recipes/Soup_-_Tom_Yum_Gung_-_Shrimp_In_Hot_Lime_Leaf_Broth.shtml