Thai cuisine · Soups & Stews

Tom Saep Nuea

A hot-and-sour Isaan beef soup with lemongrass and galangal, silkily bound with toasted rice powder.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600g beef (stewing cuts)
• 1.5 liters water
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 6 slices galangal (or ginger)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 tbsp raw jasmine rice (for toasted rice powder)
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp chili flakes
• 3 shallots
• 4 scallions
• 1/2 bunch cilantro

Instructions

1. Toast the raw jasmine rice in a dry pan for 5–6 minutes until golden brown and grind it in a mortar to a coarse powder – it thickens the broth and gives it the nutty Isaan aroma.
2. Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces, put it on with the water and simmer gently, covered, for 40 minutes, skimming off the foam.
3. Add the bruised lemongrass, galangal slices and torn lime leaves and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the broth is clear and fragrant.
4. Slice the shallots into thin rings, warm them briefly in the soup, then take the pot off the heat.
5. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes and the toasted rice powder – the lime juice must not boil again, or it turns bitter.
6. Serve hot, sprinkled with scallion rings and cilantro; the aromatics stay in the bowl for flavor but are not meant to be eaten.