🍲
Tom yum from scratch
medium growth 120 min +125 XP
Track down lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves — then cook it yourself. Half the quest is the hunt
Why this matters
Anyone can stir paste out of a jar. The difference starts where you go looking for galangal.
What to do
Start with the hunt. In an Asian grocery check the freezer first — lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves usually live there; fresh is best, frozen works, dried does not. At home, bruise the lemongrass stalk with the flat of a knife and cut it on the diagonal, slice the galangal into thin coins, tear the lime leaves by hand instead of cutting them. All of that simmers in the stock for about ten minutes, then the mushrooms, then the prawns, and only off the heat: fish sauce, lime juice, chilli. Lime must not boil, it turns bitter. Taste and correct — sour means more lime, salty more fish sauce, hot more chilli — and look for the point where you can hear all three separately. The lemongrass and galangal are not eaten, they stay in the bowl.
Afterwards
How many dishes do I only know by their supermarket version?
Completed the quest? Earn XP
After signing in, you can record this quest to earn 125 XP in your Good People Map profile.