← Nouns Cooking · Thai

Ingredients

• 400 g raw prawns, shell on, peeled and deveined, shells kept
• 1.5 l Water
• 450 g cooked jasmine rice (from about 200 g raw)
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Maggi seasoning or light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tang chai (preserved cabbage) or pickled mustard greens, rinsed and chopped (optional)
• 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 1 handful Chinese celery or celery leaves, chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 Spring onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cm piece Ginger, cut into fine matchsticks (optional)

Method

1. Fry the garlic in the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until pale golden and crisp. Tip into a heatproof bowl straight away; it keeps colouring off the heat.
2. Put the prawn shells (and heads, if you have them) in a pot with the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 min, pressing the heads to release their flavour. Strain and return the broth to the pot.
3. Season the broth with the fish sauce, Maggi and white pepper, add the tang chai and mushrooms, then stir in the rice, breaking up the clumps. Simmer for 5 min, until the grains swell but the soup is still loose and brothy.
4. Add the prawns and simmer for 2–3 minutes, just until they turn pink and curl. Stir in most of the celery.
5. Ladle into bowls and top with spring onion, the rest of the celery, ginger and a spoonful of crispy garlic and its oil. Put fish sauce, white pepper and sliced chillies on the table.

Tips

• Leftover rice is ideal, but cool cooked rice quickly and keep it in the fridge for no more than a day.
• Maggi and soy sauce contain wheat; use extra fish sauce instead to make it gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

ImportFood Hot Thai Kitchen