Thai Lemongrass Soup

It must be because the weather is getting colder (or maybe because I have a cold that has been prolonged indefinitely since I ran the marathon two weeks ago), but I have been craving soup quite a bit lately.

So, back I went to the Thai market I discovered yesterday, this time in search of fresh lemongrass. Of course, they had it -- seriously, this place is phenomenal. Moreover, the people working there are really friendly and very patient when I ask silly questions like, "this is lemongrass, right?" or "how much of it should I use if I'm making lemongrass soup?"

I literally used every leftover vegetable in my fridge to make this soup, and it turned out great. You could also throw in chicken, tofu, or noodles, if you want to make it more of a meal.

And I was about to write, "If you don't have lemongrass, you can substitute..." But, really, if you don't have lemongrass, why on earth are you trying to make lemongrass soup?

Thai Lemongrass Soup

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups vegetable broth

3 stalks fresh lemongrass

1" square of fresh galangal, grated

1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1/2 of a 10 ounce box of baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1/2 can water chestnuts, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a simmer.

2. Add onion, lemongrass, galangal, nam pla, and water chestnuts, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add peppers and mushrooms, simmer 5 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4-6.