Hot and Sour Lemongrass Soup
Yield: 4-6 servings

You don't have to run all over town to find exotic ingredients to make this traditional favorite Thai soup. Your local natural foods market should have the few essentials for an authentic Thai flavor: In the ethnic section you'll find a good jarred red curry paste, Thai fish sauce and coconut milk; you should be able to find the lemongrass stalks in the produce section.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 pound sugar pumpkin or squash, diced
2-4 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups chicken stock
3 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5 inches only) smashed with the back of a knife
1/2 pound white mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and pumpkin, and saute until just softened, 2-5 minutes.

Stir in the curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, stock and lemongrass. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently for 25 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender. Add the mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and remove the lemongrass stalks. Stir in the lime juice and taste, adding more fish sauce or juice to bring up the flavors.

©2006 Copyright Alison Anton - All rights reserved.