One Pot, 20 min Vietnamese Prawn & Rice Soup

Inspiration for this dish courtesy of Ella Risbridgers’ fantastic cookbook of stories, 2019.

Summer 2020, I was in Byron Bay visiting my cousin whilst looking for businesses to buy, for a dream project of my partners’ and I. I was given Midnight Chicken to read, an epic cookbook for those eager home-cooks and professionals too.

After my big trip in 2016 to Vietnam, I was hooked on those punchy spicy, sweet, fresh flavours of their cuisine. This epic, super easy recipe is a flash in the pan, quick and so damn easy. You can make this vegan / plant based if you prefer. Just sub out the prawns or chicken, for vegetable stock, crisp fried tofu & some sweet potato or pumpkin. Don’t forget the greens though!

Pantry Items, serves 2

1x 400ml tin coconut milk

200-300ml stock of choice (chicken is great)

2 good lugs of fish sauce (or soy/miso/nutritional yeast if you’re vegan/plant based)

1 big thumb of ginger, peeled/sliced

4 cloves garlic crushed, or 2 tbsp store bought

Pinch of brown / palm / coconut sugar

Good pinch of white pepper

2 lemongrass sliced long ways, rustic is fine / dried is fine (lemongrass is one of the key ingrediants)

2 limes, zested & juiced / or lemons, we all know how bloody expensive limes in NZ are!!

Bunch of greens, washed / sliced

Bunch of coriander & spring onion, washed and sliced

2-3 chilli’s, red are great, paste is ok

200g rice / or 2 cups of leftover cooked rice

200g prawns / chicken / tofu or vegetables of choice

Method

Put the stock, coconut milk & fish sauce / miso or soy in a medium sauce pan, bring to the simmer. Add ginger, garlic & pepper and lemon grass, bring to a simmer. Add the lime zest (leave some for garnish) & juice. I bet that sure smells amazing! This should be around 10 mins. Now throw in the raw rice, give a quick stir, ciover and cook for 18-20 minutes. If using cooked rice, just add it and expect the grains to break up a little. You will now have a risotto texture of slight sticky broth, and cooked rice. Stir through the greens, coriander and half the spring onions. Cook a few minutes before adding the raw prawns. Cook 2-3 more minutes. Your soup is now done! To serve, scatter with the fresh chilli if using, lime zest, extra herbs and spring onion. So simple!

Note: if using chicken, please make sure its cooked/shredded, or vegetables, ensure they’re fully cooked and just toss it through the soup at the end. Crispy tofu? Drain and dredge it in a 50/50 blend of rice & corn flour then shallow fry til golden on both sides. Season well.