Coconut Curry Soup

It doesn't matter where we live we still try to find the best Thai restaurant in town. In Tucson, AZ we had a little mom & pops place we really enjoyed going to called "Saing Thai".....I REALLY miss the fresh spring rolls from there. Here in Dhaka, Bangladesh we have a Thai restaurant right down the road from us (within walking distance) called "Soi 71"....my favorite things on the menu are the "Green Papaya Salad" & "Sticky Mango Rice"....yum.

Now even though we could walk to our local Thai restaurant and get decent priced & fresh food anytime, I still much rather make this bowl of goodness at home in my own kitchen where I know exactly what I am stirring together and can smell the magic happening.

My husband actually told me that he doesn't think its "normal" for the cook to "ooh & ahh" over their own food as much as I did while we were eating this soup the other night. So what if I think it was well worth the multiple "oohs & ahhs".....let's just say him and the kids were lucky I didn't pull a "When Harry Met Sally" moment like Meg Ryan did while I was eating this!!

Coconut Curry Soup

1 TBS olive oil or coconut oil
2-3 carrots, peeled & sliced into thin coins
1 large onion, cut in half & sliced
2-3 chicken breast, cubed
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 TBS red curry paste
1 tsp salt
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
2 cans of chicken or veggie stock
1 + 2 tsp curry powder *
1 tsp turmeric
2-3 lime leaves (these add such a great flavor)


Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook them until they are soft, do not burn them. Add carrot slices and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute then scoop out the veggies but leave as much of the liquid in the pan as possible.

Now add the chicken in the pot and cook until mostly cooked through. After 5 minutes of cooking sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp of curry powder, 1 TBS red curry paste and salt. Return cooked veggies back to the pot. Pour coconut milk and stock in your pot. Stir in the remaining curry powder and turmeric. Heat to a simmer then add the lime leaves. Cook for 15 minutes. Taste to season (if you are using a low sodium stock you may need to add a bit more salt but I wait until right before serving to add this since it takes a little cooking to release all the flavors)

You could serve this with steamed potatoes or rice OR eat it just as is.

*use more or less curry depending on how spicy you what type of curry blend you are using, we use the mild curry powder so our kids can enjoy it.

If I am feeling like I need a bit more heat I like to add a few drops of sriracha to mine but trust me this is not a must when it comes to needing flavor enhancing!