Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Shrimp Toast

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup peeled ginger julienned
• 1 sliced onion
• 4 Thai bird chiles
• 3 stalks lemon grass, white part only, sliced
• 1/4 cup 3 Crab fish sauce
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 cups Sauteed sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup enoki mushrooms
• 1/4 cup sliced scallion
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, green part only

Directions

Saute ginger, onion, chiles and lemon grass until soft. Deglaze pan with fish sauce. Add chicken stock and lime leaves. Simmer and reduce the liquid by 20 per cent. Add vinegar, basil and pepper. Check for seasoning. Strain the soup. Add sauteed shiitakes and fresh enoki mushrooms. Ladle soup in soup plates. Garnish with shrimp toast and scallions.

• SHRIMP TOAST
• 2 cups shrimp, chopped
• 1 cup napa cabbage
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup finely diced jicama
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 6 slices of dried bread with the crust removed
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• Canola oil

In a food processor, puree first 5 ingredients. Check for seasoning. Fold in scallions, cilantro and jicama. Spread the mixture on bread, cut in half on the diagonal and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Heat a deep fryer to 375 degrees F and fry until golden brown.