What Tom Yum Paste Should I Use For The Hot And Sour Soup?

Our answer

Nigella's Hot And Sour Soup (from NIGELLA BITES) is Nigella's version of the Thai tom yum soup, which has a balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet. Tom yum paste is added to the broth to give a spiky chilli kick and slight sourness. Tom yum (sometimes called tom yam) paste is made from a base of dried red chillies and shallots, with galangal or ginger, lemongrass, tamarind and lime leaves usually added.

We can't advise on any specific brands, but the brands made in Thailand tend to be slightly spicier, so you may like to look on the packaging to check the origin. Nigella amplifies the flavours of lime and lemongrass in the soup, so if you want more spice you could add couple of dried red chillies to the broth. Prick them all over before adding them whole to the broth with the lemongrass and don't let anyone actually eat them as they are very spicy. You could also add slightly more of the paste to the soup, but go carefully as it can easily become too spicy.