Green Mangoes and Lemon Grass. Wendy Hutton

      spicy beef soup tom yam neua

      A Thai girlfriend taught me how to make this soup back in the early days when I was just beginning to learn about Thai food and thought that soups began and ended with the ubiquitous Tom Yam Kung, the hot sour soup made with prawns. I think this beef soup — which has similar seasonings — is just as good, and in areas where prawns are expensive or hard to find, an excellent alternative. Saw-tooth coriander looks like a wide blade of grass with serrated edges; if you can't find it, regular coriander leaf is fine.

      4 cups (1 liter) water

      2 stems lemon grass, bottom 7 in (18 cm) only, bruised and cut in 4-5 pieces

      1¼ in (3 cm) galangal, thinly sliced

      4-5 kaffir lime leaves, torn