Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp (Tom Yum Goong)

This is the classic Thai hot-and-sour soup. It is good stuff. Spicy, but not so much to be off-putting.... it's just right and just hits you in a special spot in your soul. It calls for a homemade Thai chile paste, which I made, and it keeps for a year. It's worth making!

THAI ROASTED CHILE PASTE
6 large dried red chiles
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 shallot, unpeeled, halved
2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
3 tablespoons tamarind water
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil

In a dry pan or wok over medium heat, fry the chiles, garlic and shallots, stirring often, until they darken and become dry and brittle. When the chiles are charred on both sides, after 3-5 minutes, transfer to them to a plate. Leave the garlic and shallots in the pan until they darken and feel tender when pressed, about 5-8 minutes longer, then transfer to the plate. Split open the chiles and shake out the seeds. Peel the garlic and shallots. Wrap the dried shrimp paste in foil and place directly on top of a burner turn on to medium high heat. Toast, turning once or twice until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Open the packet; if the shrimp paste crumbles, it's ready. Let cool.

In a blender, process the dried shrimp into a fine powder. Add the chiles, garlic, shallots, dried shrimp paste, tamarind water, palm or brown sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Blend until a smooth paste forms. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining vegetable oil and add the paste. Reduce the heat to a gentle sizzle and fry the paste, stirring frequently, until it darken to a deep reddish dark brown and has a sticky, oily consistency, 10-15 minutes. Let cool, transfer to a jar, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to one year.

SOUP
¾ pound large shrimp, in the shell
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 stalks lemongrass, midsection only, smashed, 2" lengths
6 slices fresh galangal or 3 slices dried
6 Thai green chiles or 8 serrano, cut in half crosswise
6 cups chicken stock
8 kaffir lime leaves, spices removed
1-2 tablespoon roasted chile paste, or to taste
1 cup drained canned straw mushrooms
4" piece bamboo shoot, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
¼ cup lime juice
1 fresh red chile, sliced into rounds
¼ cup cilantro

Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. Rinse the shrimp and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp shells and fry them, stirring, until they turn bright orange, about 1 minute. Toss in the lemongrass, galangal, green chiles, chicken stock and 4 of the lime leaves. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes to devdop the flavors. Remove from the heat and pour the stock through a sieve placed over a clean saucepan. Discard the contents of the sieve.

Add the chile paste, straw mushrooms, and sliced bamboo shoot to the saucepan, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium heat. When it is boiling, add the shrimp and the remaining 4 lime leaves and cook until the shrimp rum bright orange-pink, 1-2 minutes. Season with the fish sauce and lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the red chile slices and coriander leaves.