Thai Prawn Soup (Tom Yum something)

I love this soup - it's easy to produce and you can throw whatever ingredients you like in really, but the below is a 'normal' version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 uncooked prawns
• 1 good thumb of Ginger, chopped finely
• 1 red chilli, sliced thinly
• 1x 3 inch piece of lemon grass, bruised lightly then cut into 1 inch chunks
• 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2x spring onions, (green leaves remove) cut lengthways
• 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of roast chilli in oil
• Lime, quartered
• Handful of Coriander, roughly chopped

Method:

First, to make a fish stock: Remove shells from prawns and boil the shells in a point of water for 5 minutes. Pass through a sieve (keeping the liquid and throwing the rest). Set aside and let the liquid cool.

Add the stock, ginger, chilli, lemon grass, fish sauce, lime juice and chilli in oil to a large pan. Add a pint of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

In the meantime, prepare the serving-bowls. In the bottom of each place the mushrooms, spring onions, a quarter slice of lime and some roughly chopped coriander.

Add the prawns and tomatoes to the soup and wait until the prawns cook (20 seconds or so!).

Ladle into the bowls and stir.