Vegetable Sour Soup

Here is the recipe
• 1 tsp. tamarind
• 5 tbsp. warm water
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 3 cloves gar¬lic, minced
• 1 inch-long piece fresh ginger,
• peeled and sliced
• 1 red chili pep¬per, seeded and sliced*
• 3 tbsp. raw peanuts
• 1 tsp. shrimp paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 c. low-fat chicken or veg¬etable broth
• 1/2 c. salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 chay¬ote, peeled, seeded, and
• sliced thin
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen green beans,
• ends trimmed
• 1/3c. frozen corn kernels
• 1 green chili pep¬per, sliced (optional)
Direc¬tion
• Pre¬pare tamarind by plac¬ing it in a small bowl with warm water. Let soak for 15 minutes.
• To make spice paste, com¬bine shal¬lot, gar¬lic, gin¬ger, red chili pep¬per, raw peanuts, shrimp paste, and salt in a large mor¬tar and blend well with a pes¬tle. Use a food proces¬sor or blender if you don’t have a mor¬tar and pestle.
• Trans¬fer paste to a medium saucepan and add chicken or veg¬etable broth, salted peanuts, and brown sugar. Stir to com¬bine, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Mean¬while, use a strainer to sep¬a¬rate the tamarind seeds from the juice. Throw away the seeds and keep the juice.
• Add chay¬ote, green beans, and corn to the soup, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
• Just before serv¬ing, add tamarind juice and stir. Gar¬nish with green chili pep¬per slices if desired.