Coconut Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Soup on a hot day!  I know. It is 93 degrees here in Atlanta and I am making  soup.  I have to confess that I am a soup fanatic! Fall and winter can never come fast enough for me.  Not only are fall clothes the best looking, but food during the fall and winter seasons are also hard to beat.

This soup is one that I make all the time.  There is the base recipe for the broth and the rest of the ingredients are just whatever you want to throw in.  Make it your own.  The soup made in this post uses ingredients I already have in my pantry.  I love Asian food and always keep these ingredients on hand.

Ingredients for the broth base: 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
                                                   14-ounce can of coconut milk (light version can be used if desired)
                                                   1 tablespoon of curry powder. or paste
                                                   Any noodles you desire (however much you want)

I was out of udon noodles, which is usually used in this recipe, and substituted whole grain linguine in it's place.  If you really want to get authentic, fresh ramen noodles can be bought from any local Asian store.  The red curry is used instead of the golden as it adds more heat to the dish.  Curry paste is more preferable to me, but there was not enough paste left in the jar so powder was used.

I also included a picture of the curry paste:

Other ingredients in this dish: mushrooms, scallions, thinly sliced cabbage, shrimp and bean sprouts (another name for them is mung beans).  I did not measure any of these nor the noodles. Just throw in as much as you like. (Not pictured)

1. Put broth, coconut milk, curry, cabbage and mushrooms in a pot and bring to a boil.  Note: make sure that after you add the broth, milk and curry that you whisk it smooth before adding the other ingredients. Do not want any clumps of curry in your soup.

2. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and add noodles.  Let noodles cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add shrimp to mixture and cook about 3 more minutes. You can add the bean sprouts depending on how crunchy you like them at the beginning of the recipe or 5 minutes before it is done for more crunchiness.

Note: Since linguine was used the noodles have to cook longer than if you used ramen or udon which would cook quicker. I also half my noodles before cooking them so they are shorter in length.

3. Once done pour into soup bowls and serve!

Some variations I have used before are adding cilantro as a garnish, adding 1/2 tablespoon of Asian chili paste, shredded carrots, snap peas and squeezing lime into the soup.  Use whatever ingredients you want to make it appealing to the senses. I have made a vegetarian/vegan version by using just vegetable broth and taking out the shrimp!  The possiblities are endless.

Note:  Curry is very good for the digestive system.  Curry also contains the herb turmeric which is thought to help fight cancer.

Enjoy!