Introduction
This delicious soup, which has a sweet and sour tang-thanks to the use of pineapple, tamarind juice, lemongrass, fish sauce and tomato-can be made with prawns or fish or any mixture of seafood.
Ingredients
1 lb bite-sized seafood (prawns, squid, fish fillets, etc.), cleaned
and shelled
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, outer layers discarded, inner thick bottom part sliced
3 stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups hot water
1 ripe tomato, cut into wedges
1 cup canned pineapple, cut into chunks
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups bean sprouts, seed coats and tails removed
1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
20 mint leaves, to garnish
Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, ground
1 red chili,
deseeded and sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Method of preparation Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Place seafood in marinade and mix until well coated.
Cover with a cloth and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry onion and lemongrass for 2 minutes until fragrant and tender.
Add the stock, tomato and pineapple, mix well and season with fish sauce, tamarind juice, sugar and salt.
Increase heat to high and bring mixture to boil, then simmer uncovered for 1 minute.
Add marinated seafood and simmer for 3 minutes until prawns turn pink or are just cooked.
Finally add bean sprouts and mix well, adjust seasoning by adding more fish sauce and tamarind juice if needed.
Remove from heat.
Method of serving
Serve hot in individual serving bowls, topped with cucumber and mint
leaves.