Tom Yum Soup

There is one thing that really irkes me. Recipes that require certain ready made pastes to be used. For example, I saw a butter chicken recipe that required butter chicken paste. What's the point in following the recipe if you can just follow the instructions on the jar of paste? The same goes for Tom Yum soup. After searching high and low, I found many recipes requiring "tom yum paste". Finally, I found one that didn't require one!

This has to be one of my husband's all time favourite dishes. He is a pretty happy chappy when he has this. 

Recipe from Australian Women's Weekly (altered version)

Ingredients

1.5 litres chicken stock

1 stalk lemon grass stalk

6 kaffir lime leaves

1 clove garlic, crushed

3cm knob ginger, sliced

100g button mushrooms

100g oyster mushrooms

300g chicken breast, thinly sliced

1 bird's eye chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon palm sugar

1/2 cup coriander leaves

Method

1. Bring chicken stock to the boil in a wok or saucepan. Place lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and ginger. Simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat. Stir in chilli, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar and coriander leaves. Serve.