Thai Curry Soup

Thai Curry is one of my favorite foods. I love how rich it is and how all of the spices give it a great depth of flavor. It’s my go-to every time I go out for Thai Food and I especially love it in the winter.

Last week, Chicago got hit with a ridiculous amount of snow. It gave me a good excuse to hang around the house and have a lazy weekend. It was also perfect Curry weather so I decided to trudge over to the grocery store and try to perfect a recipe I have been working on for a while. Good news is, hauling 3 huge bags of groceries (I got a bit carried away at the store) home in an unshoveled mess was worth it because I absolutely nailed this recipe! I am really excited to share it since it is so delicious.

Nutritionally, this soup is also slightly more balanced meal than traditional Curry. Adding broth stretches out the coconut milk and lightens things up a bit. Coconut milk is full of healthy plant-based fats, but I think everything is best in moderation. There are also tons of vegetables in here and rice noodles add some carbs to the meal. If you want to add a bit of protein to it you could totally throw some baked tofu in as well or add it on top at the end.

Thai Curry Soup (Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 30 Min. Serves: 6)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/4 cup red curry paste
• 2 inch chunk ginger, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, skin removed
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce (gluten-free if you have an allergy)
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 6 cups vegetable broth*
• 2 (14 oz.) cans of full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 baby bok choy bunches, sliced
• 2 green peppers, julienned
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin (save a bit as garnish)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 (8 oz) package vermicelli rice noodles
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. In a food processor or high speed blender, blend together curry paste, ginger and garlic until combined.
2. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Once melted, add in curry paste mixture and sauté until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
3. Add in soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and lime juice. Stir until combined and then add in vegetable broth and coconut milk and allow it to come to a simmer.
4. Once simmering, add in sweet potato, onion and green pepper, cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add in baby bok choy, and mushrooms and simmer for another 2 minutes until they are slightly softened.
6. Add in uncooked noodles and boil according to package instructions (usually 2 or 3 minutes) and stir in cilantro and basil.
7. Top with extra basil, cilantro, red onions or green onions and enjoy!!

For broth I use vegan bullion and dilute it according to the package’s instructions, it tends to be much cheaper.*