Should I say it again? OK. I love, love, love Bravo’s series Top Chef and the contestants who appeared on the show. Not only do I seek out the restaurants of the contestants (66 to date), but I also cook their recipes on occasion. The winner of season 1 was Harold Dieterle, who now has a restaurant here in NYC, Ten Hope in Brooklyn to be exact. Just recently I cam across one of his recipes online, and of course I had to make it asap. It really was super delicious. This soup is 100% perfect for this cold weather! Cook like a Top Chef with me.
What you’ll need:
- 5 Thai Chiles
- 4 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender inner bulb only, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 plus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
- 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
- 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- salt and pepper
- cooked rice
In a blender, combine chiles, lemongrass, garlic, shallot and 1/4 cup of water, and puree until smooth.
in a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil. Add the lemongrass puree and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind,lime leaves, and 1 1/2 of water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is flavorful and slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and simmer until slightly curled and cooked through, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls and add rice.
Bon Appétit!
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