Prawn and lemongrass hot and sour soup

Name: Prawn and lemongrass hot and sour soup
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Chinese recipes
Ingredients: 400g raw shell-on prawns; 1.25 litres fish stock; 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped; 4cm knob fresh ginger, roughly chopped; 4 lime leaves, roughly chopped; 1-2 bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped; 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 4 tbsp fish sauce; ½ tbsp caster sugar; Juice 2 limes; 150g oyster and/or enoki mushrooms, roughly torn; 300g cooked rice noodles to serve; 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced, to serve; ½ bunch of coriander and/or mint, leaves picked, to serve

By: Georgina Hayden

Published: 8 Nov 22
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

Georgina Hayden’s fragrant hot and sour soup is packed with prawns, noodles and zingy fresh herbs. Batch cook and freeze the broth ready for busy nights.

Georgina Hayden is an award-winning food writer, cook and presenter. She developed a love of cooking while growing up above her parents’ Greek Cypriot taverna in London and is influenced by a love of family and her = Mediterranean heritage. Her latest cookbook is the Sunday Times Bestseller Nistisima. Follow her on Instagram @georginahayden

In a hurry? Try our speedy prawn noodle soup.

Serves 4
Hands-on time 40 min, plus cooling

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Ingredients

400g raw shell-on prawns
1.25 litres fish stock
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
4cm knob fresh ginger, roughly chopped
4 lime leaves, roughly chopped
1-2 bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 tbsp fish sauce
½ tbsp caster sugar
Juice 2 limes
150g oyster and/or enoki mushrooms, roughly torn
300g cooked rice noodles to serve
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced, to serve
½ bunch of coriander and/or mint, leaves picked, to serve

Method

Shell the prawns, then put the shells in a large saucepan with the stock (reserve the prawns in the fridge). In a pestle and mortar crush the lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, chillies and garlic cloves just enough tobruise them, break them up and release their flavours. Add them to the stock and put the pan over a medium heat. Gently bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Strain the flavoured stock, discarding all the solids, then return the clear broth to the pan. Add 3 tbsp of the fish sauce, the sugar and the juice of 1½ limes. Taste and add more of everything to suit your taste: you’re looking for a punchy, tangy, salty broth. Add the prawns and mushrooms to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes until just cooked through. At this point, you can freeze the broth (see Make Ahead).
When you’re ready to serve, defrost and gently reheat the broth (if needed). Divide the cooked noodles among 4 bowls, then ladle over the piping hot broth. Divide the prawns and mushrooms among the bowls and scatter over the sliced spring onions. Finish with the herbs.

Recipe from November 2022 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 172kcals
Fat: 2.1g (0.1g saturated)
Protein: 15.9g
Carbohydrates: 21.6g (5.1g sugars)
Fibre: 1.4g
Salt: 3g

delicious. tips

Freeze the cooled prawns, mushrooms and broth for up to a month, then defrost overnight in the fridge when needed. Reheat the next day in a pan as normal. Serve as suggested, with rice noodles, spring onions and herbs.

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