Tom Yum Tofu

Inspired by a recent Thai house guest we discovered that our local Asian supermarket has everything we need to make a vegetarian Tom Yum Goong,  the delicious hot and sour soup from Thailand. So we have no excuses now then!

Ingredients
(serves 4)

for the stock

1 ltr vegetable stock
4 stalks lemongrass , cut into approx 3cm pieces 
6 whole kaffir lime leaves
6 cloves garlic, bashed
1 large piece galangal sliced into 1cm thick rounds 
2 shallots,  halved and finely sliced
1 tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp vegan friendly fish style sauce (or light soy sauce)
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
200g soft tofu, cut into cubes
2 Thai chilies, sliced 
200g fresh shitake mushrooms,  sliced
100g broccoli, cut into small bite-size pieces
100g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
25g fresh Thai basil, roughly chopped
25g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

With a pestle and mortar bash the lemongrass until it resembles straw. Then separately bash the kaffir leaves to bruise them to encourage more flavour to be released. Next the galangal pieces and finally the garlic.

Pour the vegetable stock into a large pan. Add the bashed lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic and the sliced shallots. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Strain the stock back into the pan. Add the chilli and mushrooms, return to a boil and then reduce back to a simmer for a further 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli and chopped tomatoes and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

Reduce the heat further and add the lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and tofu.  Stir very gently as not to break the tofu cubes. Taste and adjust by adding more soy sauce, sugar or lime juice to get the right balance. Add more chilli if you prefer more of a kick.

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with some of the basil and coriander.