Recipe: Coconut Red Curry Soup

I have been a huge fan of Asian cuisine, particularly Thai, for as long as I can remember. I love red curry (the local Thai place that we hit up puts pineapple in theirs!). One of my favorite soups is, Tom Kha Gai, which is a coconut milk based soup with lemon grass, cilantro, mushrooms and chili peppers.

It struck me that I could combine my two favorites... I present you with, Coconut Red Curry Soup. This recipe is the perfect combination of spicy, tangy, creamy deliciousness!

Recipe serves 6 (large dinner size portions):

(Disclaimer: I made this soup fairly spicy, if you are not a huge fan of spicy food, halve the red curry paste and don't add the sriracha sauce.)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cans (24oz) coconut milk
2-3 cups (I did this to taste) chicken or vegetable stock (use vegetable if you would like this dish to be vegetarian friendly)
4 oz red curry paste (check the Asian section of your grocer)
2 zucchinis
2 red peppers
2 carrots
1 can baby corn
Fresh spinach (I probably added about 5 generous handfuls - fresh spinach shrinks down a lot when cooked)
2 cans bamboo shoots
1 tblsp garlic
2 tblsp fish sauce
3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
juice from 4 medium sized limes
Noodles of your choice I used "curly Japanese noodles" from the Asian section in my grocery store

Instructions:

Julienne (chop into thin strips) red peppers, zucchini and carrots. Meanwhile, in a saute pan on medium high heat add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add garlic and saute, careful not to burn. Toss in zucchini, red peppers and carrots. Season with salt and pepper (tip: if vegetables start to brown, lower heat - you are simply trying to cook vegetables until tender).

In a separate stock pot on medium high heat add one tblsp of vegetable oil. Add red curry paste and let simmer (while stirring) for 30 seconds. Whisk in the coconut milk and vegetable/chicken stock. Whisk in lime juice, fish sauce and sriracha sauce. Once broth reaches a boil, lower heat. When vegetables are tender, toss them in. Toss in bamboo shoots and quartered baby corn. Add spinach handful-by-handful. You will notice that it begins to shrink down right away. Follow instructions on the back of whichever noodles you choose and keep them separate from the soup.

Add noodles to a serving bowl and ladle soup on top. Garnish soup with cilantro and a lime wedge. I typically keep any soup that calls for noodles or pasta separated, so that the noodles do not overcook when reheating the soup.

I think that this soup would be great with the addition of chicken or shrimp (for all of you non vegetarians out there) but it is delicious as is.

Enjoy!