Scallop Tom Kha
Scallops, coconut milk, and lemon grass. Yes please!
I don’t know if you go through food phases, but the past few years I’ve been all about Asian soups: pho, ramen, beef noodle soup, coconut milk soups, you name it. It doesn’t even matter the time of year. Hot ramen on a hot summer day? Sounds great. Thanks to my sister and all the wonderful restaurants in NYC for starting this craze.
So I was very excited about this recipe, another wonder from Plated. It was also my first time actually cooking with lemongrass. I live right next a little Japanese market that has been so nice for getting my fix of ingredients. And while I normally say recipes are super adaptable, this is one where I really recommend you don’t skimp out on the lemongrass. It brings that extra necessary flavor to the broth.
For the rice, I used Trader Joe’s frozen bags of organic Jasmine rice. You can also use dried rice.
*yields 2-3 servingsIngredients
10 ounces bay scallops
1/2 cup sticky rice
8 ounces cremini mushrooms
4 mini sweet peppers or 1 regular pepper
1 stalk lemongrass
1 lime
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Bunch fresh cilantro
Fresh Ginger, about 1 tbsp peeled and diced
Sriracha (optional if you like it hot)
Directions
Prepare scallops: Pat scallops dry with paper towel, place on a paper towel-lined plate, and season with salt.
Cook rice: Prepare 1/2 cup of rice according to instructions. I used a simply bag of microwavable rice. If using dried rice, combine rice, 1 cup water, and salt in a small pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir once, reduce heat to low, then cover and cook until water is fully absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Let stand, still covered, for about 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, then set aside uncovered.
Prepare veggies: Thinly slice mini peppers crosswise. Using the back of a knife, hit lemongrass in several places (bruising the herb releases its citrusy aroma and flavor). Halve lime and set aside 1 half; cut remainder into wedges for serving. Roughly chop cilantro leaves and stems. Trim and discard skin of ginger and mince.
Sear scallops: Pat scallops dry one more time. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add scallops and sear, without stirring, 2 minutes. Then, stir scallops and continue cooking until opaque and cooked through, 1 minute more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a plate. Wipe pot clean.
Sauté veggies: Return pot to medium high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When oil is shimmering, add mushrooms, mini peppers, lemongrass, ginger, and salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, 5 minutes.
Cook soup: Add broth, coconut milk, and Worcestershire to pot; stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is reduced by a third, 6-7 minutes. Remove pot from heat and discard lemongrass. Stir in Sriracha to taste, scallops, juice of 1/2 lime, salt and black pepper.
Divide rice into bowls:
With my lazier version, I just put a heap of rice in a bowl and semi-shaped it into a ball.
The full Plated steps, if you’re feeling fancy: Transfer rice to a clean, dry surface. Using a spoon, spread into an even layer, add half of cilantro, then flatten and knead rice repeatedly, until grains become sticky. Using your hands, divide and roll into 2 balls; transfer to serving bowls.
Finish and serve: Ladle scallop tom kha into bowls with rice. Garnish with remaining cilantro, remaining Sriracha, and lime wedges.
