Ingredients:
three cups chicken stock, three stalks lemon grass (crushed with back of your knife), six thin slices galangal ( can be substituted with 1 tbsp crushed ginger), four kaffir lime leaves- torn in half stem removed, 1-3 chilies fresh sliced thinly- keep seeds if wanting spicier, two tomatoes cut in to quarters, four thickly sliced mushrooms, one shallot cut into quarters, two tbsp fish sauce, two teaspoons brown sugar, 8-10 peeled deveined prawns, one cooked blue swimmer crab meat, three teaspoons lime juice (fresh is preferable), two tablespoons coriander.
Method: Bring chicken stock to boil in pot, add lemon grass, galangal ( or ginger) kaffir lime leaves, chillies, cooking until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, mushrooms and shallot in pot with gentle stir. Wait for a few minutes until everything is cooked. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Bring soup back up to boil. Add prawns, crab meat and lime juice. Turn off heat, let rest for 10 minutes. The heat of the broth will cook prawns ( prawns should no longer be translucent, be bright pink and white in colour). Remove lime leaves and lemon grass stalks. Taste and adjust for your liking. If wanted sourer add more lime juice, sweeter add more sugar. I added Singapore noodles for more bulk. Sprinkle with coriander (fresh chilli’s and shallots can be added as well)
