Vegan Tom Yum

YUM, YUM, YUMMY!!!
I came home after working 9 hours, to Christian making this for me. It is one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever had! Every bite is "mmmm..."

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 5-6 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1-2 stalks lemongrass , minced
• 3 whole kaffir lime leaves (available fresh or frozen at Asian food stores)
• 1-2 red chilies, sliced, OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili, OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced into thin matchstick-like pieces
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms (I used shiitake), sliced
• 2 cups baby bok choy, leaves separated or chopped if large, OR broccoli
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tsp. organic raw brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp. tamari
  
• 1 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh basil + 1/3 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped

Preparation:

1. Pour stock into a soup pot. If making the stock from cubes or powder, be sure to make it strong (if it tastes good on its own, it will make for a better Tom yum soup!). Now add the prepared lemongrass, plus the lime leaves, chili, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, or until broth is very fragrant.
2. Add the mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft.
3. Add the bok choy and cherry tomatoes. Gently simmer 1-2 more minutes (bok choy should remain on the crisp side).
4. Reduce heat to low and add the coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice.
5. Do a taste-test, adding more chili or chili sauce if not spicy enough. If not salty enough, add more soy sauce or a little more stock cube/powder or salt. Add 1 more tsp. sugar if too sour. If too salty or sweet, add another squeeze of lime juice.
6. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, over rice, with fresh basil and cilantro sprinkled over. Enjoy!