This nice hot and sour soup is full of spices and herbs, so full it might sound a bit complicated. But it’s actually pretty easy to prepare and downright refreshing.
Ingredients
To make the tofu topping
- 1/2 block tofu, sliced thin (firm tofu works best for me)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp soy sauce
To make the soup
- 1/3 whole sweet onion or a whole shallot, chopped
- 5-6 slices galangal root
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3 segments
- 1/4 tsp Hot Chilis in Oil — add more if you like — or use Fried Chili Paste from the Asian grocery
- 1 1/2 cups, veggie stock
- 1 cup mushroom, cut in half (I used crimini)
- 2 chilis — I like to use Thai chilis and use them whole — for a milder experience, try 1/3 sweet pepper, cut julienne, in place of the chilis
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 2 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Preparation
To make the tofu topping
- In a wok, add oil and turn heat to high. When the oil is hot, add garlic, cook briefly, turn heat down to medium, and add tofu pieces.
- When tofu begins to brown, dust with onion powder.
- Add soy sauce and keep ingredients moving. If you like the tofu more crispy, cook it a bit longer. Add more or less soy sauce as you like.
- Remove from heat. Put tofu pieces on a plate with paper towel.
To make the soup
- In the wok, turn heat back on. I don’t mind that a bit oil remains from cooking tofu. When the wok is hot add sweet onion, galangal, lemongrass, hot chilis in oil, and veggie stock, and stir.
- When the stock comes to a boil, turn down to very slow boil, just above simmer. Add mushrooms, chilis and soy sauce. Taste the soup. Add more or less soy sauce as you like.
- Almost ready to turn the heat off. Add kaffir lime leaf shards, green onion, cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice.
To serve
Serve Tom Yum Hed with rice or noodles. Have chili sauce on the side.
Enjoy!
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