A visit to Thailand!

The smell of lemongrass, ginger and peppers fills the air. You can hear sizzling and sautéing in the back kitchen. There are bowls of jasmine rice and curry sauces, with mounds of different veggies and meat. The brightness of fresh cilantro and basil is on every plate. This is the sight and sounds of one of my favorite types of restaurants, Thai. The food is so flavorful and vibrant on the plate. Its hard to resist the sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavors of these delightful dishes. The menus beam with choices from sushi, stir fry and a multitude of curries.

Thai food is a favorite in the Dayton area. We have many Thai restaurants, which all have great dishes and their own personality. They each make their curries slightly different and offer unique dishes, as well as sushi. Soup is a staple at all of these restaurants with a least a few choices on the menu. Each are good in their own right. Thai soup is full of fresh vegetables and thinly sliced meats. Its garnished with fresh herbs, which makes the dish complete. They are light in calories but high in flavor. Here is my take on a thai favorite. Make this thai dish and take a trip to your favorite thai restaurant.

Thai Vegetable and Shrimp Soup

Serves: 6-8           Cook Time: 45 min        Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 6 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 stalks lemongrass, pounded and chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger, minced
• 2 jalapenos or thai chilies, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
• 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 cup carrots, sliced on bias
• 6 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 4 oz rice noodles, cooked and cooled
• 1 baby bok choy, blanched and shocked
• 10 20/25 count shrimp
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughtly chopped
• 1/4 cup basil or thai basil, chiffonaded

Directions

Step 1: Sautéing Aromatics Saute lemongrass, ginger and peppers in oil.

Step 2: Adding Carrots Add carrots and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Cooking mushrooms in broth

Add stock and fish sauce and continue to simmer for

20 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes more.

Step 4: Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes and remove. Before serving, squeeze in lime juice to taste. Garnish with cilantro, basil and bean sprouts. You may also strain the soup before you add the mushrooms for a cleaner broth. To assemble, place 2 bok choy leaves in bowl on opposite sides. Place a small pile of noodles in the middle. Then place broth around noodles and on bok choy. Then top with shrimp, bean sprouts, cilantro and basil.

The finished soup!

A beautiful presentation!