hot and sour soup with thai meatballs

lunch on christmas day was definitely not traditional – we had a hot and sour soup with thai meatballs.

this was the result of several days of good eating which involved an excess of delicious food, which meant that david and i fancied something a little different to tempt and tease our palates. spicy and non-european was called for!

a trip to the rumwong thai supermarket in guildford, after our friends very lovely christmassy wedding, sorted us out with the necessary ingredients – lemongrass, thai basil, kaffir limes, galangal, small egg aubergines and some tum yum paste.

hot and sour soup with thai meatballs (serves 2)

250g pork mince

1 stick of lemongrass, finely chopped

½ a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

zest of a kaffir lime

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander stems (reserve the leaves for another dish)

1 clove garlic, grated

2” galangal, grated

¼ teaspoon of salt

tom yum paste

200ml coconut milk

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

6 egg aubergines, halved or quartered

a handful of mushrooms

rice noodles for two (i use amoy straight to wok noodles)

handful of thai basil

mix the pork with the lemongrass, chilli, lime zest, coriander stems, garlic, galangal and salt. form into small meatballs (mine were walnut sized) and refrigerate for half an hour.

to make the broth, mix 2 tablespoons* tom yum paste with 500ml water and the coconut milk. bring to the boil, and add the carrot. after a minute or so added the quartered aubergines and slowly lower in the meatballs. simmer (don’t let it boil or the meatballs may disintegrate) until the meatballs are cooked through. add the mushrooms and noodles, simmer for another  few minute to let them heat through, add the thai basil and serve.

* check the instructions on your tom yum paste to see what ratio of paste you need for 700ml liquid as it may be different.