Tom Yum Goong Soup

Ingredients

• 3 stalks lemongrass green part and root trimmed, remaining section cut into 3 pieces
• 5 kaffir lime leaves each torn into 4 pieces
• 2 inches galangal piece, or ginger, sliced crosswise into 6 to 7 pieces
• 2 1/2 quarts cold water
• 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined, left whole if small and roughly chopped if medium or large
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste you know, the block of brown tamarind found in Asian markets
• 10 tamarind tendrils, optional
• 15 chile peppers bird’s eye, smashed, to taste
• 2 tablespoons nam prik pao roasted chile paste
• 1/4 cup button mushrooms sliced
• 8 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
• 12 tablespoons lime juice or to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves fresh, for garnish, optional