Hot and sour Thai chicken soup
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Hot and sour Thai chicken soup
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Ingredients
- 1 litre chicken stock
- a handful of coriander, leaves and stalks separated
- 2 bird eye chillies
- 1 stalk of lemongrass, halved and bashed
- 2.5cm piece of root ginger, sliced
- 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved
- 200g green beans, in short lengths
- 200g tenderstem broccoli, in short lengths
- a handful of baby-leaf spinach
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional)
- 4 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and sliced
Step by step
Make up to the end of step 2 the day before; chill.
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Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan with the coriander stalks, one of the chillies (halved lengthways and deseeded), the lemongrass and the ginger.
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Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain and discard the flavourings.
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Return the stock to the pan, bring back to a simmer and add the chicken, spring onions and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
TipThis is also good made with prawns, in which case add the prawn shells to the base stock for the initial simmer, then discard at the end of step 2. The prawns will only take a few minutes to cook.
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Add the green beans, broccoli, spinach, fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind paste, if using. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, coriander leaves and the remaining chilli, finely sliced.
