this vegan version is my favourite one of the thai soups.
most often and traditionally this heart warming fragant soup is served with shrimps.
it is integrating the delicate lemongrass and lime flavours with the slightly stingy taste of the gorgeous ivory galangal root. the amounts below are an approximate, but the essential challenge lies in balancing the sweet and sour flavours.
ingredients:
1 red onion or 3 shallots
3 stalks lemongrass
100 g galangal root
150 g cilantro roots
5 kaffir lime leaves
1-2 bird eye chilies
(all sliced)
1 tbs coconut oil
2-3 tbs palm sugar, can be substituted by raw cane sugar
3 tbs tomato paste
1 lime
salt
fry the basic ingredients in the coconut oil and add 1 tbs sugar.
as soon as the onions get transparent, add tomato paste and 1 litre of boiling water, close the lid and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
then let the soup cool down and rest for a couple of hours and drain the liquid from the rest. bring it to a boil and add vegetables. let them boil in the soup until they are firm to the bite. it is also time to season the soup with additional sugar, lime jiuce and salt.
vegetables, which suit this soup are tomatoes, mangetouts and fennel. also mushrooms make a good pairing. these ingredients are ideally finely sliced.
serve with plain rice and enjoy!