Thom Kha asparagus (Thai soup)

Chicken stock, home-made, defatted, no salt added, 4 cup
*kaffir or lime leaves, 6 leaves
Ginger Root, 4 slices (1" dia)
Lemon grass (citronella), fresh, 80 grams (2 stalks)
*Mushroom Straw Canned 1/2 can, drained
Coconut milk, lite, Thai Kitchen, 1 cup
Lime Juice, 3 tblsp
*Sweetzfree, drops, 1 - 2 drops
Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp
Asparagus, fresh, 20 spear, medium
Cilantro, chopped, 2 tblsp

Cut lemon grass int pieces, cut ends off asparagus, peel if necessary and cut into 3 pieces each. Bring chicken stock to a boil. Lightly bruise the kaffir lime, ginger and lemongrass and add to the stock. Simmer 30min. Strain the stock, keeping the liquid and throwing out the solids. Return stock to the saucepan and add everything else except the cilantro. Bring back to a boil and boil about 1 min until the asparagus is cooked but still crisp. Add more soy if necessary. Garnish with cilantro.

Serving Size: Makes 4 servings