Ingredients

• 1 litre/1½pints water or light chicken stock
• 6 small sticks of lemongrass
• 12 lime leaves
• torn in half (optional)
• 1 long red chilli
• sliced
• 20g/1oz fresh root ginger
• thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 20g/1oz palm sugar or light demerara
• 200g/7oz white fish
• such as cod
• skin and bone removed
• 6 plump scallops
• 50mls/1¾fl oz vegetable oil
• handful of picked coriander leaves
• handful of basil leaves
• 2 limes
• halved

Directions

• Pour the water or stock into a pan and add the lemon grass
• torn lime leaves
• chilli
• ginger
• fish sauce and sugar.
• Bring to the boil
• then reduce the heat to very low and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
• Cut the white fish into 1cm square cubes and drop into the broth.
• Quickly heat a griddle or frying pan and rub the scallops with a little oil.
• Carefully place scallops in the pan
• and don't touch for three minutes
• until you can see the scallops colouring around the edges.
• Turn them over and cook for a further three minutes.
• Distribute the coriander and basil among six little bowls. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top and pour in the soup.
• Place a scallop in each bowl and garnish with a stick of lemongrass.