SPICY THAI COCONUT CURRY SOUP WITH SHRIMP
You love Thai food, right? I know. Everyone does, including me. However, I feel like Thai food takeout is often disappointing. Weak in flavour, over priced, lacking in good ingredients. This coconut curry soup is the opposite: super delicious, easy to make and loaded with as many shrimp as you can eat.
It looks like a dish that might take a long time to cook but it doesn't. I find it's actually a great thing to cook during the week when you're tired and dying for something that tastes good with minimal effort.
Below, I outline how to make your own red curry paste. I promise you it's really easy. But, If you don't have the ingredients, time, desire etc, Aroy-D Red Curry Paste is an excellent pre-made red curry paste that you can find in any good supermarket. I highly recommend it.
Red Curry Paste
Ingredients
4-5 dried red chillies
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3-4 cloves garlic - peeled
4-5 slices of ginger
1/2 tsp dried shrimp or shrimp paste
2 tbsp fresh cilantro roots - washed thoroughly
2 tbsp sliced lemon grass
4-5 lime leaves
1 shallot - peeled and cut into quarters
1 tsp water if required
1/4 tsp salt
Method
1. blend all ingredients in a bullet blender until they form a thick paste.
Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp
Ingredients
2 tbsp canola oil
lb small to medium shrimp - shelled and cleaned
2-3 heaped tbsp red curry paste
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 limes - juiced
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
chicken stock
handful of cherry tomatoes - sliced in half
cilantro - chopped
basil leaves
sliced green and red chillies
salt to taste
Method
1. in a soup pot, or enamelled cast iron pot, add 1tbsp oil and heat over medium high heat.
2. when oil is hot, add shrimp and sautée until cooked. season with salt and pepper. remove to a plate.
3. in the same pot, add remaining 1tbsp of oil and curry paste. cook curry paste until oil rises to the top (2-3 minutes)
4. add coconut milk to the pot. fill the can with chicken stock 2-3 times and add to the pot. stir well and bring to a boil.
5. when the soup comes to a boil, add fish sauce, lime juice and reduce the heat. simmer broth on low heat for 20-30 minutes, tasting for seasoning and adjusting as you like, adding more salt, fish sauce or lime juice.
6. when broth is flavourful and has reached desired thickness, add shrimp back into pot.
7. remove soup from the heat and ladle into bowls
8. garnish with cilantro, basil and chilies
Serve this soup with a little bowl of rice and you've got yourself a meal.