Let Chef Manoj Sharma bowl you over with his soothing, steaming bowl of Thai-style Shrimp, Coconut And Kaffir Lime Soup.

Make your own curry paste by blending the galangal, lemon grass and fresh aromatic kaffir lime leaves that add a zingy flavour to the coconut-based broth.

Vegetarians can replace the shrimp with a similar quantity of mushrooms, the more exotic the variety the better.

In Chef Sharma's kitchen subtle Eastern ingredients like galangal, lemon grass are never far away and are the backbone of his cooking style.

Shrimp, Coconut and Kaffir Lime Soup

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 75 gm shrimp or prawns, washed, cleaned, tailed and deveined
• 25 ml coconut milk powder
• 5 gm Madras curry powder
• 1 medium green zucchini, cut into ½-inch sized cubes
• 1 medium carrot, cut into ½-inch sized cubes
• 150 gm broccoli, remove the stem and cut it into 1-inch sized florets
• Pinch turmeric
• 10 gm galangal or Thai ginger, chopped
• 10 gm lemon grass, chopped
• 7-8 fresh kaffir lime leaves, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Dash black pepper powder
• 5 gm garlic, chopped
• 5 gm green chillies, chopped
• Pinch vegetable broth powder, available for purchase online
• 2 tbsp butter

Method

• Blend the galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves in a mixer to make a coarse paste.
  Keep aside.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed wok or kadhai over medium heat.
  Add the butter. 
  When it melts, add the chopped garlic and green chillies.
  Saute for a few minutes.
  Add the cleaned prawns and let it cook over low heat.
  Add salt, turmeric and pepper.
  Add the chopped vegetables.
  Add the galangal-lemon grass paste.
  Stir until well-combined.
• In a bowl, combine the coconut powder with a few tbsp of warm water. 
  Mix until a smooth paste and add to the soup.
  Add the Madras curry powder, pinch turmeric, vegetable broth powder.
  Check the consistency and add a little water if needed. 
  Serve hot by itself or on steamed rice.

Editor's Note: Vegetarians can replace 75 gm of shrimp or prawns with an equal amount of mushrooms, chopped into large pieces. The stalks should be cut in half, lengthwise. The mushrooms should be added at the same stage in cooking as the shrimp.
For those who don't eat fresh garlic or ginger, slip the garlic and opt for dried ginger powder.

Ingredients like galangal and fresh kaffir leaves are available at certain vegetable sellers at your local market who stock 'English' vegetables or at gourmet grocery stores.

Chef Manoj Sharma is the executive chef at RCB Bar and Cafe, a pub owned by Diageo India, Bengaluru.

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