And I haven't looked back since.

Tom Kha is so, so good.

This, of course, inspired me to make a variation at home a few times. This recipe is a pretty far cry from the actual dish, but combines the delicious flavors of creamy coconut, tangy lime juice and spicy ginger and lemongrass. It also has tons, tons, of veggies, as I wanted this to last us all week and be as filling and robust as possible. Also, whenever I ordered Tom Kha takeout, I'd get a side of rice to spoon the soup over, so I recommend doing that as well. Topped with freshly seared shrimp (or shredded chicken, sliced beef, tofu... it would all be wonderful!), this soup was a deliciously warming meal time after time, until we ate it all up. Which was only a couple of days, really, because it's so very addicting. 

So without further ado, go unload your produce drawer and get to chopping. This stuff isn't gonna make itself.

Serves 4-6, or 2 with leftovers for dayz

Takes 30-40 minutes

What it's Made of:

• 10 or so (6 oz) stalks baby Bok Choy, trimmed and sliced crosswise
• 5 stalks celery, sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces
• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces
• 3 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 bell peppers (I used a mix of green, orange and yellow), diced
• 1 head broccoli, trimmed into florets
• 3" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 stalks lemongrass, peeled and minced (or 1-2 tablespoons lemongrass paste, if you can find that!)
• 2 limes
• 1 lemon
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 head savoy cabbage, shredded
• 6-8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• Peeled and deveined shrimp, 3-4 per serving
• Cooked brown rice, cilantro, lime wedges, sriracha for serving

How it's Made:

1. Heat a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon or so of coconut or olive oil to the pan and the bok choy, celery, carrots, jalapeño, onion, and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, for ten minutes or so, until the onion is translucent. 
2. Add the broccoli to the pot, then stir in the grated ginger and lemongrass. Zest one lime over the pot then add the juice of both limes and a lemon, followed by the coconut milk and chicken broth. In a small bowl, whisk together the sriracha, tamari, fish sauce and worcestershire, then pour into the soup. Toss in the cabbage and cover, allowing it to wilt, for five minutes. Finally, add in the mushrooms and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for twenty minutes or so, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. 
3. While the soup is simmering, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Sear the shrimp until it's just curled and pink, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan, squeeze with lemon or lime juice and sprinkle with salt.
4. Serve the soup over cooked brown rice, then top with shrimp, cilantro, and extra sriracha.