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Tom saep het (Isan hot and sour mushroom soup)
ต้มแซ่บเห็ด · Fiery, sour herbal broth with mushrooms, dried chilli and toasted rice powder
'Saep' is the Isan word for delicious, and in the northeast it means hot, sour and herby all at once. Tom saep is the soup sold from big pots at Isan restaurants and roadside grill shops from Nakhon Ratchasima to Ubon, usually with pork bones or offal; mushroom versions are just as common during the rainy season, when wild mushrooms fill the markets. It has no coconut milk: the broth is clear and sharp with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves and handfuls of dried chilli, thickened slightly with roasted rice powder. Eat it with sticky rice and grilled vegetables. Chef's tip: add the lime juice off the heat; boiled lime turns bitter and loses its fresh sourness.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the toasted rice powder
For the soup
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toast 2 tbsp uncooked sticky (glutinous) rice in a dry pan over a medium-low heat, shaking often, for 6–8 minutes until the grains are deep golden and smell like popcorn. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder.
8 minStep 2: Bring 4 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water to the boil in a pot. Add 2 stalks lemongrass, 1 oz galangal, 6 makrut lime leaves and 3 shallots and simmer over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the broth smells strongly of lemongrass.
5 minStep 3: Add 14 oz mixed mushrooms (oyster, straw, shimeji) and 1 tomato and simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the mushrooms collapse and turn silky.
5 minStep 4: Season with 1 tbsp Thai chilli flakes, 3 tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce or tamari and ½ tsp salt. Stir in 1 tbsp of the rice powder and simmer for 1 minute; the broth will cloud slightly and gain body.
1 minStep 5: Take the pot off the heat and stir in 4 tbsp lime juice. Taste: it should be sour and hot first, then salty. Add more lime or soy to balance.
Step 6: Throw in 4 leaves sawtooth coriander (culantro), 1 handful Thai basil or holy basil and 2 spring onion, ladle into bowls and sprinkle a little more rice powder on top. The herbs (lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves) are for flavour; leave them in the bowl.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tom saep het (Isan hot and sour mushroom soup) take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of mixed mushrooms (oyster, straw, shimeji)?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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