Hot and Sour Soup

• 6 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 heaping tablespoon torn yam hot and sour paste
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, optional
• 1 stick lemongrass, tender inner part only, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
• 23 small jalapenos or fresh red or green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons straw or button mushrooms, halved or quartered according to size
• 1 pound 2 ounces peeled raw shrimp, thawed if frozen
• 5 small scallions, cut into short lengths and then into strips
• Small bunch cilantro, chopped

1. Heat the stock and torn yam paste in a decent-sized saucepan with the lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce, chillies and sugar.
2. Bring to the boil, add the mushrooms and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the shrimp and scallions and cook for a further 23 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked but still tender.
3. Sprinkle with a little cilantro and put more on the table for people to add themselves as they want.

chicken stock, torn yam, lime, only, lime, fish sauce, green chillies, sugar, button mushrooms, shrimp, scallions, cilantro

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/hot-and-sour-soup (may not work)