Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson Hot and sour soup recipe

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Date Published:
09/10/2007

This Nigella recipe is taken from her popular Channel 4 series Nigella Bites, based on her popular book How To Eat.

I know that for some people, nothing feels more restoring than something warm and unchallengingly bland. But when it's succour and sustenance I need, it's spice that I want.

This soup, tom yam-the culinary equivalent of Friar's Balsam, clears the tubes and brings fire to the jaded soul. And there's nothing like a bit of searing heat to push away any hungover seediness. It's good for those days when you're thick with cold, too.

It's easy to throw together, as well: the chicken stock I make out of boiling water and bouillon concentrate, and the tom yam paste is sold now at most supermarkets, along with the other ingredients, too.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1½ litres chicken stock
  • 2 heaped tbsp tom yam paste
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 stick lemon grass, tender inner part only, roughly chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 small fresh red or green chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 150g straw or button mushrooms, halved or quartered according to size
  • 500g peeled raw prawns, thawed if frozen
  • 5 small spring onions, cut into short lengths and then into strips
  • Small bunch coriander, chopped

Method: How to cook hot and sour soup

1. Heat the stock and tom yam paste in a decent sized saucepan with the lime leaves, lemon grass, lime juice, fish sauce, chillies and sugar.

2. Bring to the boil, add the mushrooms and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the prawns and spring onions and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked but still tender. Sprinkle with a little coriander and put more on the table for people to add themselves as they want.

© Nigella Lawson, How To Eat, The pleasures and principles of good food - Chatto & Windus, 1998

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Comments

  1. Nice one, finally a fairly simple recipe that has the tom yam paste in it 2. Thank you so much! ...I can Nurse my hang over without buying half a chinese I dont need! : D
    Posted by EeekTheBear on 06/07/2009 16:53:15
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  2. thanks for the recipe - i add some garlic, soy, spirit vinegar and chicken(replacing prawns) to get it just right for me ;D
    Posted by ruthless on 10/01/2009 11:15:30
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  3. Unreal, love this soup, like to add cherry tomatoes n garlic for extra flavour tom yum yum :D
    Posted by Craig on 10/10/2008 18:26:04
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