I wrote rather scathingly about dried lemon grass and kafir lime leaves when I described my experience of using them to make aubergine and coconut curry and after all the things I said, here I am using them again. And not only them, but dried galangal too. But see, that's the thing with enjoying food and cooking. It's not a serious business. Not at all. It's about having fun and doing what you want and just because you say something one day doesn't mean you have to stick to it. I change my mind all the time. I didn't used to like tofu; now I do. I used to tell everyone the best way to make a biriyani was to steam the rice and veg together, now I usually do them seperately because I discovered it's much quicker and the result still tastes pretty good. In cooking, we needn't feel bound to a decision make in the heat of the kitchen, nor feel too proud to acknowledge that we might have been a tad hasty in proclaiming that everybody who does things the way we don't deserves a chilli pepper up the nose. People change their minds all the time. You hear them say things like, 'I never want to see you again' and then they're saying sorry down the phone. They loudly proclaim, 'I'm never, ever going to drink again', and then you see them heading down the pub in the evening for a cure. That's life, and it should come as no great surprise then, to hear Ashy Macbean growling, 'Stuff, that! That's the last time I use dried lemongrass.' and then discover that he's been spotted in the supermarket looking with interest at a wee clear plastic tub and mumbling to himself, 'I wonder if it's any better than that last stuff I had?'....and you find out he went and bought it and even posted a recipe.
And that is what happened. I bought the whole range: the lemongrass, the lime leaves and the galangal. As it turns out, I'm glad I did. Now, maybe the technology has improved since the event which occasioned my tirade against such products, or perhaps the company which prepared this lot of dried spices was better at doing it than the bunch of chancers who prepared the lot that I wasted my money on the first time were, but when I used my recently aquired dried leaves, grass and roots, I got a result that smelled and tasted of lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. After making this lovely tom yam, I got so carried away, I invented spinach and lemon potatoes, a dish in which I used lemon grass and lime leaves to enhance the citrus effect of the lemon.
I do quite readily admit that dried herbs and spices, no matter how carefully they are prepared, are no match for fresh ingredients, and I would further acknowledge that this is particularly the case concerning lemon grass, etc. but, I don't live in south-east Asia and I do like Thai food. So, for anyone in a similar position, I would say, if dried is all you can get, then get the best and get on with it. And by the way, this tom yam only takes fifteen minutes to make.
You might want to vary the ingredients in this recipe. I used what I had and it was good, but a variety of other ingredients should also work well. How about a bit of chopped tofu? Or maybe some mange tout (snow peas), cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, courgette or cucumber? Don't be afraid to go heavy on the seasoning - fiery hot, spicy, salty, tangy, lemony - that's how tom yam's supposed to be. The idea is that when you eat it, you take a big spoonful of rice and dip it into the soup to catch some of the broth and when you stick that combination in your mouth, it doesn't taste nearly as heavily seasoned as the soup alone does.
The quantities are enough for two or three people.
A few mushrooms
A handful of beansprouts
1 carrot
2 tomatoes
1 green pepper
3 or 4 baby corn cobs
2 cloves of garlic
A few slices of galangal
5 or 6 sticks of lemon grass
5 or 6 lime leaves
3 or 4 dried red chillies
A sprig of basil
Salt
A little oil
About 800g of hot water
If you use dried lemon grass, lime leaves and galangal like I did, then put them in a bowl, cover with hot water and leave them to soak while you do the other ingredients (if you're lucky enough to have fresh herbs, just throw them in along with the water after you've fried the vegetables). Slice up the mushrooms, corn, carrot, green pepper and garlic into thin pieces and stir-fry for two minutes, before adding the chillies and bean sprouts. Fry for another thirty seconds, then add the lemon grass, etc. plus the liquid they have been soaking in. Add more hot water along with the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Simmer for a minute or two, adding salt to taste, remove from the heat and stir in chopped fresh basil.
Serve each bowl of tom yam with an accompanying bowl of steamed rice.