Week 22: Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp

Let me first say I love Thai food; however, I have never tried to cook it. As a general rule, I am afraid of simplified recipes of ethnic food. BUT this was awesome and I could absolutely imaging being served this soup as a starter at a legit Thai restaurant. And thanks to You Tube, I learned how to prepare the lemongrass, an unfamiliar ingredient.

The first step was to doctor up the broth. To prep the lemongrass, I cut off the woody stem and green leafy part and them removed a few outer layers. The fun part was crushing the stems with a rolling pin to release the oils and get ultimate flavor out of the stems. I added the lemongrass and sliced limes to the broth and let simmer for 10 minutes. I strained the stock and discarded the lime and lemongrass.


The rest was super easy and super fast! I added the mushrooms, red bell pepper and red pepper flakes and simmered for 5 minutes. Next step was to add shrimp, snow peas and and green onions and cook until shrimp are curled and pink, about 2-3 minutes, careful not to overcook the shrimp or let the soup sit too long on the heat. I stirred in fresh squeezed lime juice and seasoned with salt, although the broth was already quite flavorful so minimal salt was needed.

At serving I garnished with cilantro. The smell was amazing and the colors in the soup were beautiful. I can't believe how easy this was. This recipe is for only 4 servings, but it was 4 hearty servings and not a drop of leftovers. This soup is easy and quick enough to make a second day if you are craving more. I wouldn't recommend reheating the shrimp in case they get chewy. You could always prepare the veggies and broth and add the shrimp when ready to enjoy.
Ingredients:

2 lemon grass stalks / $1 / Farmers market
2 limes / from home
4 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
8 ounces sliced mushrooms / $3 / Farmer's Market (sold in a carton, had a ton left over)
1 red bell pepper / $1.50 / Farmer's Market
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes / from home
1 pound uncooked shrimp / 8.99 / Safeway
1 cup snow peas / $1.00 / Farmers market
2 green onions / $1.00 / Farmers market
salt / from home
cilantro for garnish / $1.00 / Farmers market

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: super easy
Cost: $19.98 ($4.99 per serving)


Check out this video if you would like to learn more about cooking with lemongrass!