I am addicted to this Thai favorite…lucky for me, it is the equivalent to America’s healing chicken soup, but I love it so much that I can be seen several days a week picking up this tasty item from our local Thai take out spot…they know us very well by name. I opted to make it for myself one night, and though I loved every element of how it turned out, it is not the fastest soup we have ever made and think if I had given it the time to really simmer and come together, like you would for your favorite chicken soup like grandma made, it would have just gotten better….so give yourself plenty of time and let it simmer all afternoon. And, don’t cut corners on the ingredients, you really need all of them to make it complete…plus coconut milk if you prefer Tom Ka instead of Tom Yum soup.

Recipe:

Tom Yum Soup
Ingredients:
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (rotisserie chicken is fine)
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1 three inch piece of peeled ginger (I like a lot of ginger, so to your taste)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 stalks lemon grass, roughly chopped and ends removed
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped basil (Thai basil if you can find it)
2 red Thai chiles, chopped thin or 1/2-1 tablespoon chili paste like Sambal Oelek, to your taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin or rice wine vinegar
6 cups chicken stock
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/3 head of Napa cabbage, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 scallions, chopped

Preparation:
Bring the stock to a boil, then add the lemongrass, chiles and grate the ginger and garlic in using a microplane so it is very fine.  Simmer for 20 minutes to really infuse the broth then add the fish sauce, soy, sugar and vinegar, stir to help the sugar dissolve then add the tomatoes, chicken, mushrooms and cabbage.  Cook for another 10 minutes on a medium simmer.  Add the lime and zest, the cilantro and basil, and scallions, cook for another 2 minutes then spoon into large serving bowls and serve with steamed rice on the side. So good….