Yorky's Tom Yam Recipe

Ingredients · 1 litre Water · 10 Prik kee noo green chilies, slotted · 2 Lemon grass stalks, sliced · 6 slices Galangal · 4 Kaffir lime leaves, torn · 10 Small onions, whole · 4 Coriander roots, crushed · 2 Tom yam stock cubes*1 · 250 gm Chicken breast, cubed (20mm) · 100 gm Button mushrooms, halved · 50 gm Shitake mushrooms, chopped · 3 Firm tomatoes, quartered · 1 tsp Chili paste* see below · 2 Limes, juiced · 1 tblsp Fish sauce · 10 Freshwater prawns, peeled and deviened · 2 Fresh red chilies, sliced · 2 tblsp Fresh coriander leaf, chopped · 2 tblsp Fresh Thai parsley leaf, chopped

Method Boil the water over a medium high heat. Add the green chilies, lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, small onions and coriander root. Bring back to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Add the tom yam stock cubes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the button and shitake mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the chili paste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add the lime juice, fish sauce and prawns and cook for 2 minutes or until the prawns are cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped coriander and Thai parsley leaf. Garnish with the sliced red chili. Serve immediately.

Chili Paste Blend together the following ingredients: 2 tsp Dried shrimp; 2 tsp Vegetable oil; 2 tsp Chili powder; 1 tsp Onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp Garlic, finely chopped; 1 tsp Tamarind juice; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Shrimp paste. Add a chopped red chili (optional) and mix.

Note 1:  If tom yam stock cubes are not available, make a stock as follows: Boil the discarded prawn shells and heads in a litre of water with a pinch of salt and 3 sliced red Thai chilies, for about 30 minutes. Sieve the liquid and use this instead of the water.