Man oh man, did I discover the most delicious soup. I found myself starving one afternoon with the desire to cook something I had never tried before. My obvious choice of cuisine was Thai - I constantly crave Asian food and let's be honest, there's never a bad time to eat it.
A bit of research brought me a couple of great recipes, of which I adapted due to my fridges lack of ingredients, and urge to simplify the recipe. Turns out, everything I added made a delicious soup and I wouldn't change it one bit. Here's how I made my Red Thai Soup :
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons oil (coconut oil would be best)
1/2 onion , sliced
2 garlic cloves , chopped
1 heaped teaspoon ginger paste (you can use fresh ginger)
1 lemongrass stalk , cut into 2 sticks and smashed
2 tablespoons Red Thai Curry Paste
4 large cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock for vegan ( I used chicken stock)
1 tin Coconut milk - full fat
1 red bell pepper , deseeded, cut in half across the middle, and sliced into strips
1 pack Shitake Mushrooms, sliced (I also added shimeji but not necessary to have this)
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce to taste, or soy sauce for vegan (I used fish sauce)
4-5 tablespoons fresh lime juice/lemon (I used lemon)
2 large zucchinis , spiralized
2 Chicken breasts (Optional - I didn't use any meat. Only veg)
Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai curry paste and sweat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.
3. Strain mixture and discard aromatics. Return infused chicken/veg broth to stovetop and add coconut milk. Stir to combine well, then add bell pepper, mushrooms, and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until red bell pepper is softened, about 15 minutes.
4. Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 4 tablespoons lime juice, and stir to combine. Taste and add more lime juice or fish sauce, if desired. To serve, place a serving of zoodles (spiralized zucchini) in a bowl and pour hot soup over. Serve immediately.
