Thai soup Tom Kha
Description
A hearty first course. This soup is prepared on a chicken broth base with mushrooms, lemon, and shrimp. The dish has a pronounced sour and spicy flavor. Preparation: Heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Add sliced garlic and fry for a few seconds. Set aside. Add thinly sliced chili pepper and sauté. Remove the skillet from the heat. In a blender or food processor, blend the fried garlic and chili pepper until smooth. Grate lemon zest on a fine grater and squeeze out the lemon juice. Grate ginger on a fine grater. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, sugar, and the garlic-chili mixture to the skillet. Mix well and cook over low heat until the mixture becomes uniform in consistency. You will get a paste — the soup base. In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Pour in coconut milk and add the prepared paste. Stir, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add coarsely chopped mushrooms, shrimp, and cream. Cook the soup for 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup stand for a few minutes.