Thai Coconut Curry Soup
A family favorite.� The perfect combination of mild curry, creamy coconut and fresh lemongrass.� The flavors and aromas in this broth are heaven. This, my friend, is comfort in a bowl on a cold January day.
My dear friend Michele, gave me an amazing cookbook with all sorts of soup recipes in it years ago….and that began my love for coconut curry soup.� Over time, I realized that I needed to write my own version when I would hear myself trying to pass along the recipe: “Hold on…let me just write some notes for you…oh-and I do this…oh-and I add that.”� This is my son’s favorite soup.� Every time I have it ready for him when he comes home from school, he squeals with excitement. � I hope you feel the love when you make it for the first time.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. canola oil
- 3 tbsp. minced lemongrass or lemongrass paste
- 3 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated on microplain
- 2 large garlic cloves, grated on microplain
- 2 � tsp. Thai red curry paste
- 6 c. chicken broth (regular, not low-sodium)
- 3 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 � tbsp. sugar
- � tsp. salt
- 8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced as thin as possible
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into tiny bite size pieces
- 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
- fresh chopped cilantro, for topping
- 4 c. cooked jasmine rice, for topping
Instructions
- Make sure all of your ingredients above are chopped, minced, etc.� This is important for keeping the recipe easy.
- Heat oil in large pot on medium heat until fluid and hot, but not yet smoking.
- Add lemongrass, ginger and garlic stirring constantly for about 40 seconds.
- Add curry paste, and continue to stir constantly for another 30 seconds.
- Add � cup of the chicken broth, stirring to dissolve the curry paste.
- Add the remaining chicken broth, fish sauce, salt, sugar and mushrooms.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Add the chicken and bring the mixture back to a boil.� Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and lime juice.� Stir and heat on medium for a couple of minutes until mixture is heated through but not boiling.
- Give it a taste, it should be an explosion of flavors in your mouth.� If not, it needs a little more salt to bring out the flavors.� Add salt to taste until it’s just right.
- Serve with a spoonful of jasmine rice on top, sprinkle with cilantro.
Notes
- Broth: Sometimes it can be temping to reduce the amount of time that a broth simmers, especially when you are in a rush. Soups need time to develop the flavors properly, do not shorten cooking time.
- Fresh Ginger: When preparing fresh ginger, trim off any knobs with your knife, then peel with a vegetable peeler and grate on a micro plain.� If you don’t have a microplain, you can mince it with a knife…but I find I get more flavor and have less chance of large chunks in the soup when I use the microplain.
- Fresh Lemongrass: When preparing, remove the outer sheaths, using the inner sheaths that are softer and lighter in color.� Avoid using any parts that appear dried out, brown, yellow or woody.� I have used the lemongrass paste when I can’t find fresh lemongrass and the flavor� turns out just as nice.
- Fish Sauce: If you are new to cooking with fish sauce, the aroma on its own may be something you are not used to, but trust me, it’s a vital component in the amazing flavors of this broth.� The soup will not taste how the fish sauce initially smells on its own:)
- Sugar: I prefer to use organic cane sugar in this recipe, but if you don’t have it, regular sugar will work as well.
