Tom Yum

4–5 cups water

3 shallots, finely chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 1-inch-long segments

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

20 medium-sized shrimp, shelled but with tails left on

1 can straw mushrooms, drained

2–3 teaspoons sliced kaffir lime leaves or lime zest

3 tablespoons lime juice

2–3 Thai chili peppers, seeded and minced

1. Pour the water into a medium-sized soup pot. Add the shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Add the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and chili peppers.
3. Cover and remove from the heat. Let the soup steep for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Tom Yum Soup for Life

A joint study by Thailand's Kasetsart University and Japan's Kyoto and Kinki Universities has found that the ingredients in Tom Yum soup are 100 times more effective in inhibiting cancerous tumor growth than other foods. No wonder it's Thailand's bestselling soup!