Episode 304: New Year's: Benjamin's Tom Yum Soup & Shrimp

Challenge: New Year's

Dish: Benjamin's Tom Yum Soup & Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, reserve shells, peeled & deveined
½ ea onion, peeled and sliced
Shrimp shells, (from above)
2 oz sake
1 pkg kaffir lime leaves, bruised with the back of a knife
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
2 ea Thai chilies
2 cup fish stock
2” ginger, peeled & chopped rough
1 ea garlic cloves, crushed
2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp fish stock
2 ea limes, zested
1 ea lime, juiced
2 tsp tamarind paste, dissolved in ¼ cup hot water
1 tbsp sambal paste
1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
1 pkg Thai basil
1 pkg cilantro
2 oz coconut milk
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp lemongrass, finely diced
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:
Peel shrimp. Keep shells. Clean vein from shrimp. Place shrimp in cooler.

Sautee shells & onion in a pot, deglaze with sake, cook and set. Add lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, garlic and stir in. Heat until you can smell the aromatics. Pour in the stocks, bring to a boil and then turn down low. Cover and let simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Rough chop 8 oz of the shrimp, reserve the rest. Place in food processor with egg, fish sauce, garlic, lemongrass, scallion. Season with salt and pepper. Process smooth. Scrape sides down. Slowly pour in enough cream to emulsify and bind mixture. Test seasoning by frying off little bits. Adjust seasoning where needed. Reserve mixture cold until later.

Broth: Add herbs, Thai basil and cilantro, tamarind, fish sauce, sambal, lime zest and juice, and brown sugar. Stir in, cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Strain off. Chinois. Finish broth with coconut milk. Adjust seasoning where needed. Poach reserved shrimp in broth.

Fry off any hint of mousseline. Flip to cook through. Season with togarashi.

Serve broth, poached shrimp, mousseline, slices of Thai chili, lime zest, Thai basil leaves, cilantro and chopped toasted peanuts.