My very first Tom Yum Soup

At this time of the year, when winter is looming, we all have a million and one excuses to over indulge. The only other time we eat so much is at Christmas- but that’s a whole new story of gluttony and glee and  well...guilt eventually. I have heard a few excuses like, ‘oh the change of weather means I get more hungry’ or ‘ughhh its getting cold, now so to keep warm I just keep eating’-GUYS. No. Stop.It. I for one did not spend the past three months working out like a horse to just pack on the weight again- nah ahhhh! I plan to combat these hunger pangs with yummy foods that trick my body and incidentally score high on the health scale.

My first winter craving- obviously not taking into account the KFC and Steers Chips- has been Tom Yum Soup. After having made two trips to KOI in Sandton and ordering the soup each time, I made the decision to learn how to make my own, along with a host of other soups.(Vietnamese Soups also excite me!)

Incidentally I made my first lot of Tom Yum Soup- today!!! I use the term Tom Yum very loosely here as you see, I had only a few of the ingredients in the fridge, however I must say I was impressed!

Having not planned and cooked my work lunch the night before, I hurriedly seasoned a piece of kingklip fillet, adding lemon juice, paprika, garlic and salt- basic seasoning for a quick meal. Accidentally I added too much water so once the fish was done (or rather in my case- overdone), I was left with some stock. I decided to add a tablespoon of Tom Yum paste (which I cannot for the life of me remember where it came from), a handful of coriander and dash of lemon juice and water. I left it to boil for about 15 minutes, allowing for a more concentrated reduction and for the taste to be just right by adjusting the ingredients. I decided to sieve the mixture mainly because I don’t like tiny bits like garlic in my mouth- pet peeve- but also because I didn't get to add any of the solid ingredients like tomatoes, mushrooms and prawns! That my friends, is something to look forward to when I make the conventional Tom Yum Soup very soon. Enjoy!

The remnants of the Tom Yum Soup 

The Fish that gave birth to the Soup- and a yummy Salad