This Asian soup is another family favourite. It is full of flavour and texture and features a sublime combination of hot, sour, sweet and spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• ½ teaspoon sambal oelek or other Asian chili paste
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bashed with heel of knife and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 kaffir lime leaves cut in 4 pieces or 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup oyster or honey mushrooms, shredded
• 6 ounces (150 grams) peeled medium shrimp
• 1 tomato, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped coriander leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped mint leaves

Method

Combine ginger, shallot, garlic and sambal oelek in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add ginger-shallot mixture and sauté for 30 seconds or until you can smell the spice.

Pour in stock and add lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce and brown sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook another minute. Add tomato and simmer gently until shrimp is pink and curled, about 2 minutes. Add lime juice, coriander and mint leaves. Serves 4.