Tom Yum Stoup

Thats right! Its a sToup, with a T and not a silly typo from a sleep deprived new mommy. With a 6 month old baby and a big research grant due in 20 days, I have decided to blog again! I guess I really need the pressure from all sides to escape into my virtual world. Being very time pressed these days, of late I have been cooking up dishes that will take only 30 minutes or so. And if possible I aim for one pot meals that would make a nice leftover for lunch.

Peeking into my fridge last night, I noticed a lot of vegetables that badly needed to be used. I opened my pantry to find boxes of noodles and cans of coconut milk begging for a release.
Ta da! The tom-yum sToup!

This is different from the soup because I made it hearty by adding more noodles to it, so it can be the main course and not an appetizer. This recipe may not be traditional but is definitely delicious.

Assemble:

1/2 package of any noodles ~ approximating atleast 2 cups of cooked noodles.
* I used 1/2 box of spaghetti*
1 cup coconut milk
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups of diced vegtables (carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, zucchini, green, pepper)
1/2 cup diced tofu
Handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp red curry paste * I used store bought Thai curry*
Few basil leaves
One or 2 stalks of lemon grass * I did not have this, so skipped it* Cilantro to garnish
1 tbsp Oil, soy sauce and chilli sauce to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in in a big pot. Add the chopped onions and let them fry till transparent.
• Add the diced vegetables. Sweat them out on medium heat till they are partially cook (especially if you are using potatoes)
• Add teh curry paste and saute for a few minutes.
• Add the raw noodles.
  
• Now add 4 - 5 cups of water. More or less depending on how thick or thin you want the soup to be. Let the water boil for 7 - 10 minutes.
  
• Add the seasonings - soy sauce and chilli sauce (my curry paste was HOT, so i skipped the chilli sauce)
  
• Now toss in the cherry tomatoes and tofu. Boil for a few more minutes or till your noodles are al dente.
  
• Add the basil and lemon grass.
• Add the coconut milk and immediately turn off heat. You don't want the coconut milk to get watered.
• Garnish with cilantro.

The result was a beautiful bowl of steaming hot sToup that was very filling but healthy.