Vietnamese/Khmer Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 1 table chopped garlic
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cube knorr mushroom soup base
• 4 lime leaves
• 2 slices galangal
• 5 small thai green chilis (prik kee nuu)
• 1 tea thin tamarind paste
• 1/3 winter melon, skinned, and cut into bite sized cubes
• bite sized pineapple chunks — about 1/2 of the amount of melon used
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tea sugar
• 1/4 tea salt
• 1 tea light soy sauce (healthy boy)
• dash of white pepper
• 1 egg (optional)
• small handful (10 leaves?) of horapa basil
• 2 springs of cilantro

Method

1. pan fry the garlic in a little oil until light brown and fragrant. Add the water directly on top, and bring to a boil. add the knorr soup base, lime leaves, chilis, tamarind paste and galangal. boil for a few minutes for the flavors to come out.
2. add the winter melon, and boil for a few more minutes. Then add the pineapple, tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, soy sauce. Boil until the winter melon is soft.
3. while stirring, slowly pour 1 beaten egg into the soup.
4. turn of the heat and add the basil & cilantro. When wilted, serve in a boil, and garnish with cilantro.

makes two large bowls.