this has got to be one of my top ten meals of all time: hot, sweet, sour, salty and umami galore, fresh and quick and comforting. magic.
i think the proportions are very flexible, based on taste and what you have available. a litre of coconut milk makes a great soup, but less can be used without problems.
1L coconut milk
200ml water
3cm knob of galangal or ginger (preferably young)
1 stalk lemongrass (cut and keep the top half for tea; chop the bottom half into 3cm lengths for the soup)
4 kaffir lime leaves
2-3 red chillis
3-4 tsp black/fried chilli paste
1 large piece kombu seaweed
300g firm tofu
1c mushrooms, quartered (tinned straw mushrooms are nice, too)
4-5tbs soy sauce
2tbs sugar (palm or brown sugar is best)
1 bunch bok choy or other asian greens
1 lime, juice and zest
bunch of coriander
jasmine rice to serve
put rice on to cook.
on low-medium heat, gently simmer coconut milk and water in a large saucepan. add galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, half the chillis (you can always add more later!), kombu and chilli paste. stir and heat for 5-10 minutes. remove kombu and discard.
add tofu, mushrooms, soy sauce and sugar. cook for a further 10 minutes on medium heat without boiling. after the first 5 minutes, add the greens in to cook. finely grate lime zest into the saucepan. adjust seasoning, then remove from heat.
serve in bowls: add a teaspoon of lime juice to each, and top with a few stalks of lightly chopped coriander.
