Thai It All Together

February 03, 2011
Denise Smith

Thai cuisine is one that I profess to not having had a great deal of cooking experience with. I love Thai food and trying new Thai restaurants, but most of my favourite Thai dishes include ingredients that I don’t have in my pantry and that would require a great deal of prep and cooking time (neither of which I have the time for).

During the cold winter months I like to make homemade soup as much as possible, so when I found this simple Thai soup recipe, I thought I would give it a go.

I made this soup for my family last night and the comments from the peanut gallery speak for themselves:
“That smells awesome, Mommy.”
What are the square pieces (bamboo shoots)?”
“Can I please have some more noodle soup?”
“What are the crunchy things (lemongrass)?”
“I love this soup! I love the broth and I love the chicken and the shrimp.”

My kids aren’t big fans of mushrooms, so next time I think I would decrease the quantity. Mix up your weekly meal plan by adding this simple, Thai-inspired dish to your recipe book. For the grown-ups, I can tell you that soothing aroma of lemon and the creamy texture of coconut milk marry nicely with chicken and shrimp in this delicious, one-pot meal.

Thai Shrimp & Chicken Soup
Serves 6

You’ll Need

• 1 900ml carton low-sodium chicken broth
• 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 0.5oz pkg dried shitake mushrooms
• 2 stalks lemongrass (white & light green part), chopped into 5 cm lengths
• 199ml can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 limes
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• ½ lb frozen cooked shrimp
• ½  red pepper, chopped
• 8 oz pkg. rice noodles, cooked
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Prep and Cook

1. Stir together broth and coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat. Add fresh and dried mushrooms, lemongrass, bamboo shoots, fish sauce and garlic.
2. Remove the rind from both limes and the juice from one lime and add it to the soup.
3. Bring soup to a boil.
4. Stir chicken and carrots into the soup and reduce heat to low.
5. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.
6. Add shrimp to the pot and continue cooking for another few minutes (or until shrimp are pink).
7. Toss in red pepper and cilantro and stir.
8. Taste and add more lime if necessary.
9. Pile a ladleful of noodles in the bottom of the soup bowls.
10. Remove lemongrass from the pot and discard.
11. Pour soup on top of the noodles and serve.

Good to know: For busy weeknights, this soup can be made ahead of time (omitting the shrimp), covered and refrigerated. When you are ready to eat, add the shrimp to the pot, reheat until shrimp are pink, top with fresh cilantro and serve.

What are your fave Thai dishes?

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