Shrimp and brown rice soup

This irresistible soup is inspired by a Southeast Asian dish traditionally made with Thai jasmine rice. The recipe is adapted from one in “Hot Sour Salty Sweet,” by Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford. 2 shallots, finely chopped 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce 1/2 pound peeled, deveined shrimp, finely chopped (about 3/4 pound in the shell) 2 quarts water; or use half chicken or vegetable stock, and half water 1 cup sprouted brown rice 2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed and minced 2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil For garnish: 2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped 1 cup cilantro leaves 2 cups bean sprouts Minced bird or serrano chilies Lime wedges Sprouted brown rice is a packaged product that you can find in natural foods stores with other packaged grains. The grains are sprouted, then dried. It looks and cooks like regular brown rice. 1. Mix together the shallot, half the garlic, the pepper, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and the shrimp. Set aside. 2. Combine the remaining garlic and the lemon grass in a mortar and pestle, and grind to a paste. Alternatively, mince in a mini-chop. 3. Combine the water or stock and water, remaining fish sauce and rice in a soup pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the garlic and lemon grass paste, and reduce the heat. Taste the water and add salt if desired. Cover and simmer 40 minutes until the rice is tender. 4. Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or skillet, and add the shrimp mixture. Stir-fry until the shrimp begins to turn pink, about one minute. Add one ladleful of liquid from the soup pot, stir together, then transfer the contents of the wok or pan to the soup. Bring back to a simmer, and simmer five minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. 5. Serve, garnishing each bowl with cilantro, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and chilies if desired. Have guests squeeze lime into their bowls. Yield: Serves six. Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving. Remove from the heat, refrigerate if leaving for more than an hour, and reheat just before serving. Nutritional information per serving: 222 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 61 milligrams cholesterol; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 657 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 11 grams protein