This classic dish takes a bit of patience but yields delicious results.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp
• 2 ½ quarts of water
• 6 small cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp dried lemon grass sticks cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup scallion tops cut into 1/8 inch pieces
• 12 fresh hot chili strips, cut 1/8 inch wide and 1 inch long*

Procedure:

1. Shell shrimp carefully, leaving on tails
2. De-vein them, rinse under running water, pat dry
3. In heavy stock pot, boil the water with the cilantro leaves 10 minutes, uncovered
4. Stir in lime juice and fish sauce. Reduce heat to moderate.
5. Add shrimp, cook 5 minutes.
6. Add cilantro leaves, scallion tops, and red chili strips.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
8. Serve immediately in hot tureen.

Serves 8

*Use gloves, cut chilies in half, remove seeds, and cut into long thin strips.