Tom Yum Goong and EASY fried rice

My husband asked to "guest blog" on our dinner from last night. We had Tom Yum Goong and fried rice. He'll be blogging on his "spicy soup".

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Tom Yum Goong
Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp

Ingredients:

6 cups water
1-1/2 tbsp soup base
1 package baby bella mushrooms
2 shallots
2 stalks lemon grass *
2 pieces galangal (thai ginger) *
6 thai chillies
6 kaffir lime leaves *
2-3 limes
1 lb tail on shrimp
3-4 tbsp fish sauce (to taste) *
chili paste (individual bowls to taste) *
cilantro


*these ingredients can be found in any asian grocer, I don’t recommend substitutions because they are provide the distinctive flavor of Tom Yum

Directions
1. Bring water to a boil, dissolving the soup base into the hot water. I recommend better than bouillon (http://www.superiortouch.com/btb.htm), the lobster and chicken bases both work well.
2. While the water is heating, prepare the vegetables. Rough chop the mushrooms and shallots. Remove the outer layer of the lemon grass, then chop into 2 inch chunks and smash with a mallet or the flat side of your knife. Slice the galangal lengthwise. Score the chillies and remove some of the seeds to adjust for the desired spiciness (I remove about half the seeds). Tear the center vein from the Kaffir lime leaves. Juice the limes and set aside for later. The cilantro is mainly for a garnish, but you can chop some stems to add to the water as well.
3. Once the water has reached a boil, add the vegetables EXCEPT for the lime juice. Regain your boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, so that the mushrooms have cooked. The soup will be VERY aromatic.
4. Now add the shrimp and remove from heat, they cook up very fast. Add the lime juice and fish sauce. The soup should be spicy from the chillies, sour from the limes, and a little salty from the fish sauce. Balance these three flavors by adding more of these basic components a little at a time only if you need to. When you are satisfied, ladle into bowls and garnish with a fresh sprig of cilantro. If you want more heat, add a tbsp of chili paste to your bowl, but usually I don’t.
5. Don’t eat the galangal, lemon grass, or lime leaves, the fibers are all too tough to digest. Do leave them in your bowl, though, they make the dish attractive and continue to add aromatic flavor. Enjoy!

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Now for the fried rice. This was actually one of the first things I ever cooked when I still lived with my parents (as a teenager). Back then, I used a mix for seasoning (the kind in the yellow packet). It was really good, but I think this way is just as good, and easy to make with what you have on hand. I make it a little different each time, but this is the basic recipe.

Easy Fried Rice


Ingredients:
1 cup white rice, steamed and cooled in the refrigerator (it is VERY important to cool it)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 shallot, thinly sliced, or 1/4 cup onion, diced
2 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add onion/shallot and saute until soft.
2. Add rice, soy sauce and sesame seeds.
3. Continue cooking, over medium heat, stirring every 2 mins, for about 10 mins.
4. Push the rice to the side, and add 2 eggs. Scramble in pan (with rice pushed to the side of pan).
5. Mix all ingredients together in pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

This recipe can be made with meat also. I have also added zucchini, which is very good.

In case anyone was wondering what my 3 year old eats on spicy food days: