Hot & Sour Soup with Mussels

– TOM YUM GOONG –

THAILAND

Tom yum soup is one of my favourite go-to quick recipes. As I often have lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves in the freezer, and the actual cooking only takes minutes, I can be sitting down slurping soup in no time at all. I vary the ingredients based on what’s best in season (see ideas below), but my favourite variation uses mussels. They instantly pack the broth with salty umami from the sea, so there is no need to get hold of stock. It is also in the snivelly, cold months from October to March, when mussels are in season, that I especially crave a bowl of hot and aromatic soup. Everyone has a strong idea of what the best tom yum recipe is, but it’s a pointless argument, because like most Asian cooking it is very much to taste. I like my broth to be light and fragrant, and to lead with sour, followed by spicy, salty and finally sweet flavours; feel free to adjust the ratios to your liking.

Serves 4 as a side

• 750g fresh mussels, in the shell
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, white part only
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 or 3 red bird’s-eye chillies
• 1 litre water
• 3 x 5cm slices of galangal
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon light palm sugar, or unrefined light cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon chilli shrimp oil (optional, see here)
• a handful of fresh coriander leaves

1. Clean the mussels by scrubbing them under cold running water to remove barnacles or sand, and remove any visible beard by giving it a sharp pull. Discard any open mussels that do not close when tapped on the shell.
2. Bash the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Chop the lemongrass roughly into finger-length pieces, and the chillies into fine slices.
3. Put the water into a large pot, add the lemongrass, chillies, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, then bring to the boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Bring the liquid up to the boil again and add the mussels. Cover and simmer for about 3–4 minutes, until all the mussels have opened, discarding any that don’t.
4. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilli shrimp oil (if using). Taste for seasoning, then finish with a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice or rice noodles.

Note: When I want to shake things up, I slip in a naughty dash of coconut milk. This completely changes the clean taste of a classic tom yum soup, so I can imagine purists crying out, but it is bloody delicious and you should try it.

Summer Variation:
Fresh prawns make a great tom yum goong. Save the shrimp heads and shells and simmer them in water for 30 minutes to make a quick stock, before adding the rest of the ingredients. You can also make this using chicken and chicken stock, or make a vegetarian version with fresh vegetables, tofu, vegetable stock and soy sauce.