Serves: 2 (Gluten-free / Vegetarian)
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 small pumpkin, roughly 50g-60g, peeled and sliced into rough 2cm by 2 cm pieces (squash can be used instead)
- 8 Thai Shallots, peeled and slightly bruised in a pestle
- 1 head pak choi, tough stem removed and the leaved sliced in half lengthways
- 2 green birds eye chillies, bruised in a pestle
- 1 teaspoon Thai Taste chopped kaffir lime leaves
- 2 sticks lemongrass, chopped into 2 cm long pieces and bruised in a pestle
- 10g, galangal, peeled and chopped into 2 cm long pieces and bruised in a pestle
- 2 coriander roots, cleaned, washed and bruised in a pestle
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai Taste soy sauce
- 200ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon Thai Taste Tamarind paste
- 300ml Thai Taste coconut milk
- 100g, Thai Taste rice vermicelli noodles, submerged under boiling water and left soaking for 10 minutes until soft, then refreshed under cold water.
- 10g, Thai sweet basil (normal basil will do)
- 1 lime, juiced
Method:
- Firstly, in a small sauce pan bring a little water to the boil and then submerge the pumpkin into it, then turn down to a simmer, continue to gently cook for around 3-4 minutes until soft but not quite cooked and then remove from the heat and put aside for a few minutes (at this stage you might as well leave it in the hot water as we are to use it straight away).
- Next place the vegetable stock, 100ml of the coconut cream, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamarind sea salt, galangal, coriander roots, birds eye chillies, lemongrass, lime leaves, pumpkin, pak choi and Thai shallots into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering continue to cook gently for 4-5 minutes until all chicken is cooked and all vegetables have softened with flavours infused.
- Finish by adding the rest of the coconut milk and the sweet basil, then serve into soup bowls lined with the cooked vermicelli noodles, the residual heat from the soup will heat the noodles.
- Lastly check the seasoning, it should be creamy, salty, a little spicy, aromatic with a fresh hint of lime at the end, adjust to your own tastes if needs be.