I am an aficionado of anything spicy, especially when I need warming up after walking my Beagle, Millie, in the wilds of Westchester County NY and what could be better than a spicy Thai Tom Yum soup for this purpose on a freezing day?

After braving the crisp outdoors this morning, I made a batch of this Thai soup and boy, did it hit the spot! If you are a fan of chili and lemon like me, this is the soup for you. The combination of crunchy vegetables, exotic lemongrass with its strong citrus tones and the hot sour flavors of the Tom Yum paste topped with fresh cilantro just do it for me every time

Ingredients (for 2)

Some of the ingredients needed

• Up to 1 tbsp of Tom Yum Paste (I used a genuine Thai vegetarian version available from H-Mart, of Hartsdale NY which was quite spicy, so one may need to adjust depending on tolerance for chilies)
• 1/4 birds eye chili – seeds removed (optional only!), 1/2 tsp of sliced lemon grass, 1/2 tsp of fresh ginger finely sliced, 1/4 peeled clove of garlic finely sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, 2 green onions sliced horizontally, 1 carrot peeled and sliced horizontally, a handful of chestnut mushrooms, a few cubes of soft tofu and a small handful of fresh cilantro / coriander
• Ground nut / peanut oil
• Plus soy sauce to season

Ingredients chopped

Method

• Warm 1 tbsp of the oil in a pot
• Add all the vegetables except the mushrooms and cilantro and stir for a minute or two
• Then stir in the Tom Yum paste
• Add the tofu and mushroom and stir again
• Add around 1 pint of hot water and stir heating gently
• Simmer the soup for around 5 minutes
• Add the soy sauce and cilantro  to taste
  

  In the pot

That’s it.  A fiery pottage guaranteed to heat you up from the inside when the mercury reads below zero in Celsius or, in the teens in good old Fahrenheit. Enjoy!