Tom Kha Soup

I love Thai food! I've been trying out new and fun recipes native to the country, and one of the recipes I've come across that serves as an appetizer or can even be a complete meal is Tom Kha soup. It is a really flavorful dish that traditionally uses coconut milk, lemongrass, mushrooms, cilantro and I like to add tofu to make it more filling. The key for this soup is to let it simmer and really let the ingredients marry together for a good balance of flavors. I used fresh chili peppers for a little extra punch, but use as much or as little as you like. To really make this a complete meal add 1/4-1/3 cup of your favorite noodles!

Ingredients
- 2 TBSP grated ginger
- 3 stalks of fresh lemongrass or 1-1/2 TBSP lemongrass puree
- 8 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 TBSP lime zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 TBSP soy sauce
- 2-3 fresh chili's finely sliced
- 1 lb.'s fresh sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups extra firm tofu cubed.
- 1 cup sliced red bell pepper
- 1- 13oz can coconut milk
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro- chopped
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 2 TSP crushed red pepper or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Cut lemongrass in half lengthways and chop into 1 inch pieces.
- In a large pot add vegetable broth, soy sauce, ginger, lemongrass, lime zest and lime juice and boil on medium high then bring down to a slow simmer for about 15 minutes
- Strain soup base and discard lemongrass pieces.
- Add fresh sliced chili's, cilantro, mushrooms, red bell pepper and tofu and continue to simmer for additional 20 minutes. Add coconut milk, 1 TBSP sugar, crushed pepper, salt and pepper to taste.
- Let simmer for additional 10 minutes and serve hot with extra cilantro and lime wedges!

Serving suggestions
- Add noodles to make it a full meal.
- Make ahead of time and let sit overnight or 24 hours in the fridge, and the flavors will really pack a punch!