The dreary weather calls for a dish that will spice up your meal
What’s the perfect dish for this dreary weather? Pick your spirits up with a heartwarming bowl of tom yum. You might think it a chore to make this from scratch, but as we learned from Duan Dusit International Culinary School lecturers Panjama Praphapantasak and Yanat Maartloet during a cooking demonstration at Dusit Thani Manila, it’s not as challenging as it seems. Here’s a recipe for tom yum koong you can easily follow at home:
Ingredients:
4 cups of water
2 stalks of fresh lemongrass (trim off the very end of the root and smash with the side of a cleaver or chef’s knife; cut into 1-inch pieces)
3 slices of fresh Galangal root (smashed)
3 pieces of fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon of tamarind paste, with or without seeds
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
3/4 lbs shrimps (medium to large size, shelled and deveined)
12 fresh Thai chili peppers (whole or 2 medium sized jalapenos cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips)
½ small white onion, cut (1/4 inch slices)
2 tablespoons of roasted chili paste
16 oz. of straw mushrooms
1 small ripe tomato (cut into wedges 1/4 –inch thick)
1 small lemon or lime (squeezed)
2 sprigs of fresh cilantro