Tom Yum Soup (with coconut milk)

Ahh, Tom Yum soup. This is by far my favorite Thai dish, and is also the most popular soup in Thailand. The health benefits are excellent, as this soup has immune boosting power for cold and flu viruses.
Many recipes you will find on Tom Yum Soup will call for lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. I went to great lengths to find both of these ingredients with no luck. So, I doubled the quantity of lime juice and I eliminated the lemongrass from the recipe altogether. Perhaps someone from Thailand would notice the difference, but my family loves my improvisation just fine!



Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red chilies, finely sliced, OR substitute 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. dried crushed chili
2-4 serrano peppers, stems removed (keep whole)
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
a generous handful of shitake mushrooms or regular mushrooms
12 medium raw shrimp, shells removed
1/2 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
coriander
Vegetables - cherry tomatoes, broccoli, bean sprouts, or other favorites


Directions:
- Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and bring to a boil.
- Add lime juice
- Add garlic, red chilies, and mushrooms
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1-2 minutes.
- Add the shrimp & cook until pink, then add remaining vegetables
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add the coconut milk & fish sauce
- Stir well to combine and gently simmer until hot
- Test the soup for salt and spice (Add more fish sauce instead of salt, or more chilies as desired. If too sour, add 1/2 tsp. sugar. If too spicy for your taste or if you'd like it creamier, add more coconut milk. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice.)
- Serve in bowls with fresh bean sprouts & coriander sprinkled over
- For extra spicy soup, add some Thai chili sauce (as pictured on left)
- I threw a fresh lime slice and serrano pepper on top for fun :)