Thai Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp

Prep 20 min.

Ready 45 min.

Serves 8

It is a blustery cold day with snow and wind. What a perfect day to make hot soup. My wife has wanted me to make this Thai soup recipe for some time, so I thought I would give it a try. It is pretty simple to make, and I was able to purchase almost all the fresh produce and ingredients at one of my favorite local stores, Trader Joe’s. They have reasonable prices and had most of the items I needed in stock. Just pick a good time to go there because they can be quite busy at peak times.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. coconut oil (peanut oil is a nice alternative)

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 5 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced and stems removed (about 8 medium-sized mushrooms)

• 2 Tbs. garlic, minced

• 3 tsp. fresh grated ginger root

• 2 Tbs. red curry paste (adds a little heat)

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 3 tsp. fish sauce

• 2 Tbs. soy sauce

• 2 (14 ounces) cans coconut milk

• 1 small dried red pepper, minced

• 1 Tbs. brown sugar

• 1 lb. large or medium shrimp, deveined and peeled

• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

• 1/3 cup scallions, sliced

• 3 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium-size soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. It will become clear quite quickly. At this point your kitchen will take on a nice tropical scent! Add the thinly sliced red bell pepper, and sauté with a wooden spoon for 3-4 min. Add the curry paste, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic and continue to stir for an additional 3-4 min.

2. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk and bring to a light boil. Then, lower the heat, simmer, and add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they turn white (about 3-5 minutes). You do not want to overcook the shrimp. They will take on a strange consistency. Let cool a couple of minutes, and add the fresh lime juice (I was able to juice the limes with my 1950’s Juice-O-Matic) and sliced scallions. Serve immediately.

I served with small bowls of rice.

The soup has a nice mellow flavor: sometimes sweet, sometimes sour. It was not too spicy. I like to serve additional spice on the side so, if you want, you can turn up the heat on your own. I added a touch of sriracha sauce to my soup to give it a little extra zing.  The soup is perfect for a cold day to warm your soul. Enjoy!