Now that I’m back in the States and have access to all my favorite ingredients I’ve been cooking up a storm.
Thai food is one of my favorites but it has always seemed like this ancient secret passed down from grandmothers. Due to my lack of Asian blood I thought I’d never be in the club, until now!
I got this recipe from the William Sonoma cookbook. I added some of my own flares and it came out DELICIOUS!
This recipe makes 4-6 servings. Pair it with delicious spring rolls!!
*Note: Read the ENTIRE recipe before starting.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 large lemongrass stalk, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 6 thin slices of fresh ginger, unpeeled
- 2-4 Thai chilies cut down the center, lengthwise
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 3/4 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 lb of fresh white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Directions
- You want to start with a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and curry paste and stir for about a minute. Next add the stock, coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, chilies to taste, lime juice and fish sauce. Bring this to a simmer.
- Stir the soup for about 5 minutes then add the chicken, and mushrooms. I also added shredded carrots, shredded spinach, and one thinly sliced bell pepper. This made the soup heartier.
- Simmer your soup until chicken is fully cooked. I allowed mine to simmer for at least 45 minutes. This allows all the flavors to infuse the broth, chicken, and vegetables.
- Garnish with fresh basil and / or cilantro leaves and serve.
Pro Tips and Substitutions
- I couldn’t find fresh lemon grass and you may not be able to either. You can either use dried (which they sell in the spice section), or a lemon grass paste. I found the paste at Whole Foods. The paste seemed more appealing to me than some dried out stalk.
- Also 2 chilies will make your soup plenty spicy so unless you’re a badass I wouldn’t add more than two.
- Also I like my Thai curries a little bit sweet so I added a little brown sugar to taste.
- You could also do two cups of unsweetened coconut milk and one cup sweetened. Also read the labels on the coconut milk carefully to make sure you have the right kind.
- Also DO NOT use only sweetened coconut milk, because if you do your broth will be sickeningly sweet.
Try this recipe out and let us know what you think in the comments below.
