The Tom Yum Goong project...

... Was a success! If I say so myself. For a first timer, i.e. I mean, using an instant tom yum paste is easy and all that, but after having tasted some of the most delicious original tom yum in Phuket, I just had to forgo the easy work and try to go conventional. Key word: Try.

I actually watched various YouTube videos on this from reputable chefs (Thai chefs, mostly of course, since they are the authority on the subject) and they made it looked so easy. Given, it looks easy in a way, but in reality the work is a bit tedious. So after a few deliberations, I finally decided that since my man and I both love original tom yum, why not try make one? YouTube is a reliable tutor, hey! And no instant tom yum paste! Yay!

I'm no chef, but thanks to technology, here's lil ol me sharing my humble bowl of Tom Yum Goong (Goong means prawn, so of course there will be prawns in this dish):

*This serving is initially prepared for 3-4 people.

The Ingredients:
A cup of medium sized prawns, deshelled (I should've used huge tiger prawns for this!)
Half a cup of medium sized squids, sliced (cause we had some leftover in the fridge...)
6-8 pieces of kafir lime leaves (also called daun limau purut)
Juice from 2 lemons
3 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 stalk of lemongrass (serai)
8-10 thin slices of galangal (lengkuas)
A handful of mushroom, sliced (I used medium shitake mushroom)
3-4 fresh chili (cili padi)
300ml of shrimp stock (using the head/shell from the prawns coz I don't have chicken stock)
Coriander leaves for garnishing (cause I couldn't find cilantro leaves anywhere... sama sik kah?)
And the secret ingredient: 3 tablespoon of Thai Chilli paste!! (although it's optional to some)

I found this authentic looking can of Thai Chilli paste at Everrise Padungan (after trying to look for them everywhere from Plaza Merdeka to Green Heights Cold Storage)... and they only had 2 left! Lucky me! This one is a popular brand in Thailand (I know cause I Googled, duh) and sometimes they have a different packaging. Priced at RM16++ I think, I don't remember because it didn't matter.

Maepranom Thai Chili paste...

I'm not going to tell you the how-to right here because it's very basic cooking once you have all the ingredients ready, besides, writing about this right now makes me salivate. Haha. Anyway, if you're looking for good video tutorials, I basically just followed Ms Pailin's step-by-step YouTube easy instructions.

Half and hour and almost a burnt tongue later...VOILA!

Tom Yum Goong Coffee Girl's version...

For an amateur, I think I did pretty well, thank you very much! Perhaps I should try remaking it this weekend, with a bigger prawn, maybe?

Breaking up...

Freedom is taking a scissor and cutting the plastic into few tiny pieces of redemption.

Thank you for being interested in me enough to send it over even after I repeatedly told you I don't want you at all. You thought maybe if I see you in person, I would change my mind and then take you in. Perhaps in those days I would be a fool to fall for your spell. But I'm many years wiser now. You're pretty, but you're deadly. And truth be told... I don't trust myself with you.

So yeah, sorry but I had to kill the relationship before it even started. Because I don't need another excess baggage, another heartbreak, another nightmare, another prison. One is all I can manage at a time, and I'm very loyal like that.

Die in peace yo.

Let's sing it!

... I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I, I, I'm huntin
This is f****n awesome!...