it's tom kha tofu!

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.