Tom Yum Goong Soup

2 quarts chicken or seafood stock
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, sliced into 2 inch pieces
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 red chiles (whole or sliced) see notes
6 tablespoons fish sauce
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 (15-ounces) can straw mushrooms
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined with tails on
A handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

To Make the Broth

In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and red chile peppers and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot an simmer for 20 minutes.

To Make the Soup

Uncover the pot and add the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and red curry paste to the broth. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and the shrimp and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through. Turn the heat off and add the cilantro. Serve.

Notes

When making the Thai broth, I usually add the chiles whole so I can control the heat level.
The lemongrass and lime leaves are not to be eaten. You can remove them before serving if you wish.
Red Curry paste is spicy. If you are not familiar with it, add 1 tablespoon and taste. You can add more if desired.