Eat Your Feelings - Thai Coconut Soup

With the weather making most of society miserable right now, I thought it was high time to add a soup to the growing list of comfort foods I’ve been cooking.

The only thing is, I didn’t want to do the typical chicken noodle or vegetable stew. I wanted to do something more exotic and challenging...



One of my favorite soups to order on a cold, rainy night is Thai coconut curry. It has it all - sweet, sour, salty, umami. Just delicious...and dairy-free!

Now unfortunately, this soup wasn’t as easy-breezy to make as I’d hoped. It actually took me two days to get the flavors the way it tastes when I order it. I used these recipes from SALT AND LAVENDER and FOOD NETWORK as guides but found myself having to make a few key alterations.



Highlights

- Sauté half an onion until it’s well-done / caramelized. (That’s how I like it, but feel free to cook a little less - just until translucent.)

- Stir in grated or thinly-sliced ginger, chopped or thinly-sliced garlic and red curry paste.

- Add broth / stock, water, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, fresh lime juice and lemon grass (I used the lemongrass paste because it was easier to find at the grocery store - about 2 tablespoons).

- Stir then bring to boil.

- Stir in canned coconut milk and chicken and simmer. (If you like the soup a little creamier like I do, experiment with adding a little less broth and water and a little more coconut milk!)

- Add in fresh basil, cilantro, and scallions.

*Since this is the NSNG version, we’re not putting in noodles or rice. Because of this, I found that the soup actually tasted better the next day, after the spices had a chance to mingle and the base had a chance to thicken. So make enough for leftovers!