Ingredients
- 1.25 litres chicken stock
- 3 lemongrass stalks, smashed with the back of a knife
- Large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- Pared rind and juice of 2 limes
- 2 red chillies, thinly sliced
- 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1tbsp brown sugar
- 1 small pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes
- 125g oyster mushrooms, ends trimmed
- 1tbsp fish sauce
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- Large handful of fresh coriander, Thai basil and mint, leaves torn
You might think that as I grew up in Ireland hot and sour soup wouldn't necessarily be on my radar, but I have been drawn to these Asian flavours for as long as I have been cooking in the kitchen. A welcome break from the norm, I loved experimenting with recipes found in Asian cookery books and this soup became a regular.
Place the chicken stock, lemongrass, ginger, lime rind, half the chillies and spring onions, and the brown sugar in a large pan. Bring to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the broth is infused with the aromatic flavours. Strain the soup, discarding the solid ingredients.
Return the broth to the pan and bring back to a steady simmer. Add the pumpkin and simmer for 10 minutes or until the flesh is just tender. Add the mushrooms, lime juice and fish sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
Gently swirl the soup with a wooden spoon and slowly trickle the beaten egg into the soup to form thin, silky ribbons.
Serve the soup topped with the fresh herbs and remaining chilli and spring onions.
