Surin's Coconut Soup

Sayster's Note:

Surin, a Thai restaurant with 3 locations in Alabama, makes this really really good coconut soup. I found a recipe on Yahoo! answers in response to someone's inquiry about the soup. Give it a whirl!

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 tablespoons lemongrass, outer sheath removed, bottom 3 inches trimmed and minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 -3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce or 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 (14 ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 by 1/4-inch strips
• 1 (15 ounce) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• salt
• 1/2 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• 3 scallions, greens only, sliced thin on an angle (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lemon grass, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
2. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to the pot and stir to dissolve the curry paste. Add the remaining stock, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the coconut milk, chicken, mushrooms, and lime juice. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the stock is hot and the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if desired. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with cilantro and scallions.
4. VARIATION: THAI SHRIMP AND COCONUT SOUP. Substitute 1/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp for the chicken in step 3.

Reviews

[Kingman Cooks]

Delicious! I have cooked this recipe several times and I can't wait to try it with fresh lemongrass, as I could only find the tube of mashed lemongrass. I varied the amount of Thai Red Curry paste and found that 3 level Tablespoons (not teaspoons) is just right for me. My favorite addition is to add rice sticks (soaked for 15 minute in water) near the end of cooking and cook until they are just softened. It's better with noodles! Thanks for a great recipe!!

[Slenert1]

This recipe is awesome!!!! I usually have to go to Surin to get the soup but now I can make it at home :) I was a little unsure of the ingredients at first but it tasted amazing! Thank you!

[Chef #445269]

This was a fantastic, flavorful soup and this recipe is definitely a 'keeper'! I used cooked diced chicken, the greater amount of curry paste and fresh regular white mushrooms that I had on hand (they were sauted w/ the garlic). DELICIOUS!!!