· 4 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken stock or light vegetable broth
· 4 - 6 cups water (depending on how thin or thick you want your soup)
· Fresh ginger root, the size of a walnut, peeled and cut into thin slices
· 2 stalks of fresh lemon grass (do not substitute dried), trimmed with root end cut off, outer leaves peeled off and darker top stems discarded, leaving two approximately 8 - to - 10 inch stalks. Slice each stalk into half lengthwise creating four half stalks.
“Hard” Vegetables
· 1/4 cup chopped shallot or red onion
· 1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch to ¾ inch dice
· 3 cups of chopped Asian (such as bok choy, baby bok choy, Napa cabbage) or green cabbage. (I used baby bok choy, saving the green leafy part for use later in the recipe and just using the white stalks for this part.)
· 8 to 12 fresh or reconstituted dried shitake mushrooms or 8-12 medium large white button mushrooms stemmed and cut into quarters. (I think the flavor and texture of the fresh shitake are really special in this soup. To use dried, soak in hot water for 30 minutes until soft.)
· 2 large carrots, cut into thin slices
Greens
· 3 cups of Asian greens or spinach leaves, chopped. (I used the tops of the baby bok choy here as well as pea sprouts, which look like miniature spinach leaves with a long thin stem. Produce and specialty markets have a variety of Asian greens such as pea sprouts and mizuna.)
Seasonings
· 4 tablespoons of Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (sometimes labeled nam pla or nuoc mam), available in large supermarkets and specialty stores. If you don’t have it, see soy sauce.
· 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. If you are not using fish sauce, increase to 4 tablespoons
· Juice of ½ of a fresh lime. If you are not using lemon grass, increase to juice of a whole lime
· Fresh small hot red pepper (such as Thai, serrano or jalapeno), cut into thin rings, optional
The Noodles
1/2 pound of dried rice noodles
Look in the Asian or regular market for dried rice noodles about the width of fettuccine noodles (about ¼” wide). In Vietnamese they are called banh pho, but often they are packaged for Thai dishes as pad Thai noodles. If you can’t find rice noodles, fresh fettuccine is a good alternative. Cook before using.
Toppings
· Bean sprouts
· Chopped mixed herbs – basil, cilantro and mint (mandatory)
· Lime wedges
· Hot sauce, chili paste or other red pepper based sauce
· Hoisin sauce (optional – but I really enjoy it)
· Chopped green onions
Preparation
Combine soup stock ingredients and simmer for a half hour or until the mixture has picked up the lemon grass and ginger taste.
Add hard vegetables and simmer until almost soft. Add the greens and simmer two to five minutes until they begin to soften. Add seasonings, stir well and cook until greens are cooked through. Discard lemon grass stalks and ginger slices before serving.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put in the rice noodles. Cook for about five minutes and drain. Rinse in cold water.
To serve, add a portion of the noodles to the bowl before adding the hot soup, which will warm the noodles through. Ladle soup into bowl, top with a handful of bean sprouts and about ¼ cup of chopped mixed herbs. Pass the other toppings so every one can season to taste. A small spoonful of the hot chili paste or hoisin sauce will flavor a big bowl of soup, so add condiments a bit at a time.
Note: The chopped herbs are an important component to the taste of this soup and the bean sprouts add a very satisfying crunch. I urge you not to skip them.Lemongrass soup recipe from Vietnam?
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on and shells reserved
4 1/2 cups unsalted homemade chicken stock
3 lemongrass stalks
4 kaffir lime leaves, or 2 strips of lime zest, julienned
One (5-ounce) can straw mushrooms, drained
1 small tomato, sliced into small wedges
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 serrano chile, or more to taste, thinly sliced into rings
Freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
Put the shrimp shells and the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Strain the broth and put it back in the pan.
Use only the bottom 6 inches of the lemongrass; chop off the green tops and the bulbous ends. Cut the stalks into 2-inch lengths and bruise them with the side of a wide knife, so that they remain intact but are somewhat flattened and release their fragrance.
Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, straw mushrooms, and tomato to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, chile, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix. You can do this much up to an hour in advance; just turn the heat off and cover the pot on the stove.
Five minutes before you want to serve, heat the stock over medium-high heat; when it's hot, add the shrimp. As soon as they become pink and curl, 30 seconds to a minute, they are done. Quickly add the fish sauce mixture and stir to mix. Pour into a tureen and garnish with the cilantro sprigs. Serve at once.
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