Healthy Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Home-made soup is so underrated as a meal and this super-healthy hot and sour soup from Look and Taste had me salivating at the thought of all those Thai flavours and spices, with big juicy prawns as the meaty filler.

The spiciness, sourness and pungency of flavours – note the addition of fresh and “vivacious” coriander right at the end – screams an equally complex and powerfully flavoured white wine. Anyone who follows this blog knows we’re addicted to New Zealand Sauvignon but for a change I’m going to suggest what I see as the up-and-coming challenger for world class Sauvignon, Rueda in Spain.
Bodegas Antana is producing wine less than 20 years but recent Decanter and IWC awards are testimony to a winning formula for both Sauvignon and Verdejo. I think their Mocen Sauvignon would make a fabulous accompaniment to Niall’s soup (and a perfect accompaniment to you while you make it!).
Full ingredients list:

• 16 Med or Big Shrimp
• 2 Stalks of Lemon Grass
• 1.2 ltr of Light Chicken Stock or Water
• 1 Knob of Ginger
• 6 Lime Leaves
• 2 Shallots
• 1 or 2 Thai Chillis
• 15g Roast Chilli Paste
• 20g Fish Sauce
• 100g Mushrooms
• 1 Juiced Lime
• 4 tbsp Chopped Coriander
• 3 Scallions.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the shrimp by peeling them and running a small knife along the back. Using the tip of the knife remove the intestinal tract. Keep the shells for later;
2. Trim the ends off the lemon grass using a sharp knife and slice into thin diagonal pieces;
3. Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a medium sized pot before adding the lemongrass and prawn shells and allowing simmer for 15 minutes;
4. Remove the lid from the pot and skim any impurities from the stock before straining the stock into another pot;
5. Place the stock back on to the heat on a simmering heat and add the chopped chillies, sliced shallots, sliced mushroom, lime leaves, sliced ginger, fish sauce and the smoked chilli paste;
6. Leave the soup to simmer for 5 minutes on a medium heat;
7. Drop the prawns into the broth and take the soup off the heat. Add the spring onions and freshly squeezed lime juice, fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Recipe and video courtesy of Look and Taste.