Warming Thai Coconut Soup (Khao Soi)

Do you ever get bored of eating the same kinds of meals? When that happens to me, I usually turn to some of my favourite cuisines around the world to find new inspiration and re-create some of my favourite dishes! This Warming Thai Coconut Soup, also known as Khao Soi, is the perfect example. I first discovered this amazing soup while living in Canada, during a cold winter day, I was sick and in much need of a warming and healing soup. Boy, am I glad that I chose this soup at the recommendation of the waiter because not only was it delicious but it also totally cleared up my congested sinuses at the time. I am pretty sure that you will love this Warming Thai Coconut Soup recipe too; whether you are sick or not, it is just that yummy!

Not only is this Thai coconut soup super tasty, but it  also contains a lot of healing ingredients. Most of these ingredients you probably already have at home, while some of them you simply buy them once and can re-use them for so many other dishes too. It’s a win-win in my opinion.

This soup is surprisingly super easy to re-create, just have your ingredients ready to go, follow the steps and soon enough you will have a delicious and warming winter soup to enjoy alone or with your loved ones!

Before we jump into the recipe, did I mention that this soup is the perfect dish to have if you are feeling under the weather as well? It contains a lot of anti-inflammatory and anti-viral ingredients such as: fresh ginger, fresh garlic, turmeric, coconut milk and chili! If you don’t enjoy foods that are too spicy, simply reduce the chili paste amount in half (or omit it all together) and you should be fine.

Okay, enough bla bla bla’s, let’s get straight into this recipe!

Warming Thai Coconut Soup (Khao Soi)

 

Ingredients:

• 1- 2 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 shallot or small onion, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced (1 to 2 if fine too but I love garlic)
• 2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste (make sure it has no added sugars!)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric – for more anti-inflammatory properties
• 1 can coconut milk (full fat)
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth (or use water and more tamari sauce)
• 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper ( optional- sub other veggies)
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• optional: a bunch of green beans or sugar snap peas (whatever veggies you like, really)
• optional: 2 tablespoons fish sauce (skip if any allergies or sensitivities)
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 1 Tbsp of coconut sugar (optional)
• 2 fresh red chillies (make a cut in the middle and place them whole into the soup)
• 1.5 cup raw, peeled and deveined shrimps ( or pan-seared cubes of organic tofu, tempeh or protein of choice)
• 1 lime
• 1 pack of brown rice noodles
• Garnish with: sesame seeds, cashew nuts, fresh cilantro or basil, some bean sprouts or even green onions.

Instructions:

1. Start by prepping your ingredients and put some water to boil… Start with the shallot, garlic and ginger. And make sure that the rest of your ingredients are ready to be used.
2. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add your minced shallot or onion, and ginger. Sauté them until they start releasing their delicious fragrance and become golden. It takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Then you want to add your minced garlic and chili paste. Sauté everything for another 2 minutes.
3. At this point, add your full fat coconut milk, broth, turmeric and bring everything to a rapid boil, while stirring. Then lower back your heat to medium. As it is simmering, add your sliced bell pepper, tamari, fish sauce, coconut sugar, chilies and other veggies. Mix everything in and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the prawns (or other protein of choice) and gently simmer until cooked.
5. Meanwhile, once your noodles are cooked, drain them. Place them into your serving bowls. Add the soup. Squeeze in a generous amount of fresh lime juice.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds, cashew nuts, fresh cilantro (or basil), bean sprouts and chopped green onions.

 

That’s all guys. There are a lot of mini-steps to this recipe, but as long as you have your ingredients ready-to-go, it’s super simply to re-create at home.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do! If you make it, I would love to see your creations. Simply use the hashtag #dlvrecipes for me to find them :).

Stay warm and bon appétit!

Sarah.