Photo credit: Renee Comet Photography.
Makes 7 servings
Serving size: 1 cup
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
When you think of Asian soups, soy sauce and other salty ingredients are often standard. But they are not always necessary. In this soup, fresh lemongrass along with lime zest, pungent cilantro, and hot peppers give this soup its wow factor.
Editor note: Best of all it’s only 70 calories per serving with 115 mg of salt. With the 2011 dietary guidelines recommending a daily sodium intake of less than 2,300 mg and 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older, this soup is a smart choice.
6 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (or low sodium)
3 stalks fresh lemongrass, lower part only, sliced diagonally into three pieces, crushed slightly
Zest of 1 lime
1 small serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Garnishes
4 scallions, white part only, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 small red Thai chili pepper, minced
1. Place the stock, lemongrass, and lime zest in a large saucepot over high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Strain the broth and return it to the saucepot. Add the pepper and shrimp and simmer over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Stir in the lime juice.
3. Garnish each bowl with scallions, cilantro, and chili pepper.
From the book You Won’t Believe It’s Salt-Free!, by Robyn Webb. Reprinted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2012.
Photo credit: Renee Comet Photography.
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