Shrimp Lemon Grass Soup

I was craving for a bowl of hot and spicy Tom Yum soup today.  It is so warm and comforting, perfect for a cold winter night.


Shrimp Lemon Grass Soup 
Serve 2 people
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 10 mins




Ingredients
- 2 stalks of lemon grass (peel off the green part and finely slice the tender part)
- 8 raw shrimps
- 2 slices of ginger
- 2 Shitake mushroom, sliced
- 1/3 lb of watercress (you can also use bok choy or spinach)
- 1-2 green chili pepper, sliced
- 2 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tsp korean chili paste
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp chopped scallion
- Freshly squeezed lime juice (from half a lime)

Steps
- Boil 4 cups of water, add lemon grass, ginger and fish sauce. Cook till boil, add the shrimp and cook for 2 mins.
- Add in mushroom and chili paste, simmer for 3 mins.
- Add in watercress, tomatoes and chili pepper, cook on high heat for 1 min.
- Add salt and scallion, lime juice. 

Quadruple Mushroom Soup

This recipe was inspired by the mushroom soup i had at Upstairs at Bouley. (It was disappointing to hear that the restaurant was closed. I really enjoyed the food and loved watching chefs cooking in the open kitchen.)  I tried to recreate the soup on my own. After experimenting a few times, I have developed my own version. This soup has become a regular on my dinner table. 
Mushroom lovers - you must give it a try.

Quadruple Mushroom Soup
Serves 5-8 people
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour


Ingredients
- 1/3 lb cremini mushroom (baby bella)
- 1/3 lb white mushroom
- 1/3 lb oyster mushroom
- 1 large Portobello mushroom cap
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 6 cups of Chicken or Pork stock (optional)
- Truffle oil (optional)
- Salt


Steps
 - Slice all the mushrooms. (Thinly slice Portobello mushroom, because its texture is firmer than the other mushrooms.)
- In a large soup pot, heat up all the mushrooms on high heat for 2 mins or till the mushrooms start to soften.
- Pour 6 cups of water or stock over mushrooms. Cook on high heat till boil, then simmer on low heat for 1 hour.
- Add salt to taste (about 2 tsp).
- In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of cold water in the corn starch. Mix well. Slowly pour in the starch mix, and stir the soup at the same time. The soup should start to thicken.
-Turn off the heat, mixing in 1-2 drops of truffle oil.

Mixing in corn starch.

[**Pork stock recipe:

- 2 lb pork neck bones

- 2 scallions, cut in 1-inch long

- 1 piece of ginger (about 1 tbsp)

- 2 tbsp of cooking wine

- In a large stock pot, brown the bones and add water. Cook till boil, add in cooking wine and simmer for 2-3 hours.

-  Chill the soup in the fridge, remove the oil on top.]

** You can make a delicious soup even if you only have white and baby bella mushrooms.