Tom Yum Po Taek

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 20 min.
• Cook Time: 25 min.
• Difficulty: easy
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This is what I call comfort food.  My girlfriend is from Laos, and she introduced me to this beautiful dish.  It’s sweet, sour, and spicy. I can’t get enough of it, so I make it often!  I make mine spicy, but you can adjust the heat level to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 12 cups water
• 1 – 14 oz pkg. frozen seafood mix
• 12 large head on shrimp
• 1 cube Knorr Caldo De Cameron
• 4 thin slices galangal
• 3 crushed lemon grass stalks, divided
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• 15 kaffir leaves
• 1 medium yellow onion, divided (chop half, and slice the second half)
• 10 Thai chili peppers, chopped *
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup lime juice

Directions:

1. In a large pot add water and bouillon, bring to a boil.
2. Clean the shrimp. Cut a small slice down the shell from the head to the tail.  Remove the shell and head and remove the vein from the back. ** Place the shell and the head into the pot of water. Place the shrimp meat in the refrigerator for later use.
3. To the pot add the galangal, 2 lemon stalks, kaffir leaves and chopped onion. Turn heat to med-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Skim the top of the broth as needed to remove impurities. ***
4. After the broth has simmered for 10 minutes, you will strain out the galangal, lemon stalks, kaffir leaves and onion from the broth, reserving the liquid.  
5. Return the broth to the pot on med-high heat and add the remaining lemon stalk, ginger, and salt.  Simmer 5 minutes.
6. Add the seafood mix, shrimp, Thai chili peppers, fish sauce and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove the lemon stalk and serve.

Notes:

*Thai chili peppers are very hot.  You can always adjust the heat level by using less and use more to heat things up.

**I used kitchen scissors to cut the back of the shrimp, but you can use a knife as well. 

Cut right down the back