To me and my family, food is definitely love. Especially when it means going through torture and back to get the absolutely essential ingredients you need to make that dish “THE DISH.” Phong’s coming back tomorrow from another week-long trip, and I wanted him to come home to one of his favorite soups. We always frequent this one Thai restaurant in Honolulu, and get their tom yum soup, extra spicy. My aunt and mom make it and it’s the perfect combination of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty all in one bowl. I wanted to step up to the plate and tackle this bad boy for myself, so that’s what I set out to do today.

Okay, let’s just say that in California, you all have it so easy! You’ve got your nice, big Asian grocery stores with everything laid out super organized, and you can put everything all tidy in your shopping cart and wheel it to your car. Nice. I used to be so spoiled. Here in Hawaii, if I want specialty Asian ingredients, I can’t find it in the “ethnic” aisle of the grocery store or commissary, unless I want soy sauce. Instead, I go to Chinatown.

Chinatown requires a certain mindset – I usually have to repeat my mantra of “I will not get a headache today…I will not get a headache today…” You have to be prepared to battle with ridiculously tiny parking spaces (if you’re so lucky to get one), and there’s always tons of people. So this morning, when Phong called and asked what I was doing today, I said, “I’m going to make tom yum soup for you!”

Phong: “YES! That sounds great! I was thinking of getting that after you pick me up from the airport too! What are you up to now?”

Me: “I’m going to Chinatown to get my ingredients.”

Pause.

Phong: “You don’t have to make tom yum soup.”

Me: “I’m in the mood. I can do it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow!”

So anyways, to make a long story short, I almost had a hernia in Chinatown. Mainly because I was searching so many stalls for my kaffir lime leaf that absolutely MAKES the soup – if I didn’t have that, I was going to throw in the towel and we were going to have to visit our Thai restaurant again. I asked one vendor – he said, pointing in no specific direction, “Ha, that’s hard to find. Good luck over there!” Finally, after NOT finding lime leaves or galangal, I asked a nice old Vietnamese man if ANYONE on this island had it. His daughter said, “Oh! We have some!” And it was hidden (probably for special customers like me). They laughed at my giddiness and even had galangal (also hidden). That galangal, similar to gingerroot, was so huge, as big as my foot. The man was kind enough to just cut me a piece. I felt so lucky – I found the secret to getting my rare ingredients!

Anyways, I made my tom yum soup. I’m still playing with the recipe – it was good, but it was one of those things that you fully enjoy if your mom made it for you. Even if your mom gives you the recipe, does it really turn out as good as hers?

Also, I started measuring ingredients and writing them down, but all of the sudden I lost count of my tablespoons and cups and pinches here and there that honestly, I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry I will make it up to you next time