For the third time this week, someone else took over my kitchen, and the highlight of it all was Thai cuisine. This time, we hosted Avrora Ogorodnik, and besides an evening full of good conversation, we ended up with a delicious dinner. The famous Tom Yum in a shrimp variation and a simple Thai salad that wins your heart immediately.

Tom Yum Kung

For the broth:

• 3 chicken drumsticks or 4 wings
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion

For the sachet:

• 10 cm piece of ginger (galangal works even better for aroma)
• 1-2 stalks lemongrass
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• kaffir lime leaves (can be substituted with other citrus leaves like mandarin)

For seasoning:

• Tom Yum paste (or wet chili paste found in Korean, Chinese, or other Asian grocery stores)
• 2 handfuls of button mushrooms
• 1 handful of green string beans (frozen works fine)
• canned tomatoes in their juice (3-4 tomatoes)
• shrimp
• lime
• green onions (or chives)
• cilantro

Start by making a chicken broth using the ingredients for a 3-liter pot. Place the chicken, carrot, and onion into cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam until the broth is clear. Add the cleaned and slightly chopped ingredients for the sachet. The sachet can be made using cotton fabric, cheesecloth, or you can simply add the ingredients directly into the soup.

Peel and slice the ginger into rings. Crush the lemongrass and cut the thick part as you would a bone or pound it lightly to release its flavor. Peel the garlic, and tie the cilantro and lime leaves together with string (if not using a sachet, you’ll remove these later).

Once the broth is clear, discard the carrot and onion, and set the meat aside for other dishes.

Into the prepared broth, gradually add Tom Yum paste (2-4 tablespoons, adjusting for desired spiciness), halved button mushrooms, green string beans (baby corn can be added if desired), canned tomatoes, and shrimp. Let the broth come to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Turn off the heat.

Before serving, add fresh cilantro and finely chopped green onions to each bowl. Serve with a lime wedge to squeeze into the soup just before eating.

If you wish to tone down the heat, you can add coconut milk to the soup, but this takes it slightly away from the classic recipe.