How to Make Tom Yum Soup at Home

Ever wish you could replicate the tongue-tingling, belly-warming, soul-filling goodness of Tom Yum? Here's the secret to making delicious Thai soup that's as good as your favorite restaurant's. You can skip the kaffir lime, regular lime juice will do in a pinch. This recipe takes less than an hour to go from pot to table.

Note:  You'll probably be making a trip to the grocery store, as people who are inexperienced with Asian cooking do not typically keep these ingredients on hand. If you do have them already, two thumbs up! You probably already have your own recipe for Tom Yum.

I took the shells off before serving, but they do look nicer left on!

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil
• Chicken broth or water
• Half a bag of frozen shrimp (I get wild-caught, as nature's nutrition is still in tact)
• Onion – small, or half a large, sliced into large chunks
• 4 or 5 scallions
• 3-6 cloves garlic
• Knob of fresh ginger
• Half a package of fresh mushrooms
• About half a cup fresh chopped tomatoes, skin off
• Your choice of favorite fresh veg such as baby bok choi, napa cabbage, peppers, green beans, washed and chopped
• Fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped, about half a cup or so
• Juice and zest of 1 or 2 limes
• Thai red curry paste (I buy Taste of Thai, as it has no MSG added) - start with a tablespoonful and keep adding to your taste.
• Anchovy paste
• Your choice of hot peppery goodness: sriracha sauce, cayenne, fresh or dried chilis
• Rice noodles

Start by thawing the shrimp. I like to add mine to a bowl of tepid water with a splash of apple cider vinegar mixed in.

While the shrimp is coming to life, sautee the garlic, ginger, red curry paste and anchovy paste with coconut oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Stir in the lime zest and onion. Next add the mushrooms, then the green veg, continuing to sautee until everything begins to wilt. Add enough chicken broth AND/or water to fill the pot to ¾ of the way up. Add the fresh tomatoes and half the cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

Drain and rinse the shrimp, then bring the soup up to a boil with the shrimp in it. I leave the shells on while cooking, then remove later. When the shrimp turn pink, remove them using a pair of tongs, and let cool in a separate bowl. Take shells off shrimp but don't throw away! Instead fill a small pot with shrimp shells and a little water, then simmer for about 10 minutes. This is your fish stock. Pour through a strainer and back into your pot of soup. Add the noodles (you don't have to pre-cook them) into the soup and simmer until they're al-dente.

Add the cooked shrimp back in when you're ready to serve – otherwise, they'll overcook.

If you're making this for adults only and you know they like it hot hot hot, then go nuts with the spicy peppers. You can add sriracha sauce, cayenne, and fresh chilis to your heart's desire. But if you're feeding kids, then leave these mouth burners on the side for whomever wants them. You could also pour half the soup into a different, smaller pot, and add the hot peppers to one. But that's too many pots to clean, I think!

I would add the chopped tomatoes at the end because otherwise, they'll melt away into the soup and you want this to be fresh and bright. At the very end, squeeze in the juice of one or two fresh limes, and add your scallions along with more fresh cilantro.

Note: if you happen to have any leftover chicken or pork in the fridge from the night before, throw that in. The secret to great cooking is making use of those leftovers!

Serve hot, and enjoy! I made this last night to help my family get over their colds. It was very enthusiastically received.

What's your favorite one-pot meal to make?

xo,
Mom

What to Do When You Only Have 1 Chicken Breast and 4 Mouths to Feed

Sometimes you take a look in the freezer, and the only meat you have in there is a lone, frosty chicken breast.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I spend my life in Shoprite. Part of my "Mom ain't got time for that" agenda is to streamline dinner prep and do a better job of utilizing what I have on hand.

If you find yourself with a small bit of meat for a family of 3 or more, here's what to do.

Put the meat out to defrost in the morning. Fridge is fine if you work all day; I'm home, so I do kitchen sink for most of the morning and then transfer to a container in the fridge for continued, afternoon thawing.

Plan a stir-fry or one-pot meal. Think about what veggies you have. If it's a bag of frozen broccoli, that's easy enough to incorporate. You can zap it in the microwave 10 minutes before adding to your one-pot chicken medley. Check the crisper for a carrot, zucchini, green pepper, mushrooms. Whatever you find will be dinner.

Consider adding beans. You'll probably want some extra protein if everyone's sharing a single chicken breast. I keep cans of kidney beans, chick peas, white beans and black beans in my pantry. Plan to use those in your stir-fry.

Select your grain of choice, as you'll most likely serve this with pasta, rice, or some other, more sophisticated grain like quinoa, right? Cook the grain in a pot of water on the stovetop at any point in the day when you have a free moment. You can also root around the fridge for a leftover starchy side to use. There could be a tub of pasta in there from 2 nights ago!

Start cooking. When you've got about an hour before it's dinner time, sautee up some garlic and/or onions in a big Dutch oven or wide frying pan. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. If it's on the bone, it will take much longer. Reduce heat, and cook covered until the meat is no longer pink.

Cut up the chicken. You'll have to cool it first. Use a chopping board to cut into bite sized pieces, then set aside.

Cut up all the veggies, and add to the pan with more garlic if you like. I sometimes use those Thai curry pastes that come in a jar. When the veggies are done, return the chicken to the pan and add a little soy sauce or whatever seasonings you like. Gently stir in the beans at the very end.

Sauce it up. If you want to make a sauce, add chicken broth and a little flour or cornstarch, then blast with high heat until it bubbles and thickens. Be sure to stir frequently.

Heat up the rice, pasta or other grain. Add a pat of butter or a drizzle of good oil, like sesame. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve, and eat!

What's your favorite go-to meal when there isn't much meat in the house?