There are a few Asian markets with very authentic ingredients in Minnesota, but sometimes making things completely from scratch takes waaaay too long. Thai Kitchen makes some great ingredients to speed up the process, though! I especially appreciate the green and red chili pastes, which I happily throw into soups, smear on chicken breasts, or rub onto salmon fillets. I love this soup, especially in the winter. It's got a great range of flavors, with tang from the lime, sweet from the sugar and coconut, and spice from the green curry. Unfortunately, all of those different aspects can be difficult to balance, especially since they're individually so strong. My mom and I have made this soup before, but on one occasion we spent multiple hours trying to get it just right. This last time I decided to aim for simplicity, hoping to find a way to make it tasty and easy. And, I'm happy to report, it worked.
Ingredients
- 1 can chicken stock
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
- 2 inches of ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- juice from 1/2 lime
- 16 oz. extra-firm tofu, cooked shrimp, cooked chicken or any combo of the three, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 15oz can straw mushrooms, drained (ok to substitute regular mushrooms if your grocery store doesn't sell these!)
- 1/4 cup bamboo shoots
- Bring chicken stock,pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, and fish sauce to a boil.
- Allow the stock to boil for 15 minutes, then remove the pieces of ginger and garlic.
- Add coconut milk, green curry paste, sugar, lime juice, and tofu.
- After the soup boils, taste and add more green curry paste if needed (I've added up to 1tbsp extra so it's nice and spicy!)
- Add mushrooms and bamboo shoots, then bring to boil again.
- Garnish with cilantro. I like to eat it with a little white rice in the bottom of the bowl, too!
