Tom Yum Kung with Prawn Dumplings, Student Recipe of the Month by Alec Peters

This month we are introducing the new Student Recipe of the Month series, where, every first day of the month, we will be presenting a new recipe fully crafted by Term 6 students.

For July, Alec Peters presents his Tom Yum Kung with Prawn Dumplings (4 servings): 

 

 

There are three main elements for this soup; (1) the stock that you will need for (2) the soup so you can eat with (3) the dumplings. Firstly, you will want to make a simple stock, which is quite easy to make:

1. Put 1.2 litres of water in a large pot.
2. Place chicken bones or prawn heads and shells in the water.
3. Add any vegetables (or scraps) for extra flavour.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for as long as possible (minimum half an hour).
5. Skim off any fat and scum that rises using a slotted spoon. Avoid mixing too much to keep the stock as clear as possible.
6. Strain

Once you are done with that you can pass to the remaining two elements:

 

Dumplings Preparation:

1. Mince the prawns, bamboo shoots together using a knife or pulse in a food processor until still a little chunky (do not make a very smooth paste) then mix in the sherry and sesame oil.
2. Put 1 heaped teaspoon of the shrimp mixture onto 1 dim-sum sheet and lightly wet edges with water then close by pressing between your fingertips the sides together as per the picture. A simple technique is to fold corner to corner.
3. Fill 8 sheets and place in the fridge. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
4. Strain

Soup Preparation:

1. Bring 1 litre of stock to boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add galangal, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves and the coriander stems and bring back to the boil.
3. Add the Straw mushrooms and the dumplings and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Season with the fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and add chillies to taste.
5. Turn off the heat, add the lime juice and serve in individual bowls. Garnish with coriander leaves, Enoki mushrooms and a slice of lime to the side.
6. Strain

And you are ready to enjoy with friends!