Tom Yum with Mushrooms and Tofu

Name: Tom Yum with Mushrooms and Tofu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 stalks Lemongrass, bruised and cut in 2 inch lengths; 6 slices Galangal; 8 Shiitake mushrooms, halved; 3 Thai bird chiles, bruised; 1 Medjool date, pitted; 2 Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges; 8 oz Firm tofu, cubed; 1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari; 2 Limes, juiced; 3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped; 2 Scallions, sliced

Serves 4 30 min total, 20 min hands on Thai $1.72 per serving A little salt

Tom yum is one of the few famous Thai soups that needs no coconut milk and no oil, which makes it a natural fit here. The heat and sour come from bird chiles and a lot of lime, and the balance comes from a single blended date instead of palm sugar. Add the lime and herbs off the heat or you lose them.

Ingredients

2 stalks Lemongrass, bruised and cut in 2 inch lengths
6 slices Galangal
8 Shiitake mushrooms, halved
3 Thai bird chiles, bruised
1 Medjool date, pitted
2 Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 oz Firm tofu, cubed
1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
2 Limes, juiced
3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
2 Scallions, sliced

Method

Bring 6 cups (1.4 L) water to a boil. Add the lemongrass, galangal, and bird chiles, and simmer for 8 minutes. This is the whole point of tom yum: a fast, loud broth. Do not strain it, the aromatics stay in the bowl.
Blend the date with a splash of the hot broth into a smooth paste, then stir it back into the pot. It rounds the sour and hot edges the way palm sugar would, without the sugar.
Add the mushrooms and simmer for 3 minutes, until they soften.
Add the tomatoes and tofu and simmer for 2 minutes more, just to heat through.
Turn off the heat. This matters: lime and fresh herbs die if you boil them. Stir in the tamari and the lime juice now, off the heat.
Taste. Tom yum should hit sour first, then heat, then a whisper of sweet. Adjust with more lime for sour or a little more tamari for depth.
Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and scallions. Eat around the lemongrass and galangal, or fish them out.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving: 155 calories, 11 g protein, 5 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.

Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.