Thai Coconut Curry Soup: I have always wanted to explore Thai and Mexican cuisine. Pastas and pizzas have become as common as idlis and dosas in our house, but I haven't tried anything which is even remotely Thai and just the empanadas, quesadilla and a black bean/corn salad in the Mexican food fare.
The two times that I went to a Thai restaurant did not go well. The aroma that floated in the room was very appetizing making me literally drool but what ended up on my plate was not as good as I had expected.
Also, I kept wondering if everything on the plate was vegetarian, even after confirming with the waiter a couple of times. What if the curry paste had fish or oyster sauce, what if the soup had chicken stock?
That's when I decided that I'm never going to step into a Thai restaurant again, ever! So I'm looking for some basic Thai recipes, to begin with. Do you have any Thai favorites?
I came across this recipe for a vegetarian Thai coconut curry soup while browsing the Good Housekeeping's Family Vegetarian Cooking book. The recipe was simple and the picture looked very good.
Good enough to convince me to try it immediately. Like the carrot-apple soup recipe from that book, this one too turned out very tasty.
My kids loved it so much that they kept asking for seconds. Other than few minor changes, I pretty much followed the original recipe.
Recipe
Thai Coconut Curry Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Coconut Milk (One 400ml/14.4oz can)
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 2 inch Ginger, sliced into 4 pieces
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth (I used Water)
- 1 cup Water
- 2 cups Slice Mushrooms
- 3 cups Grated Carrots
- 1 cup Thinly Sliced Red Pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons Salt (as per taste)
- 2 cups Broccoli
- 1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, halved
- 2 stalks Green Onions, finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons Lemon Juice (as per taste)
- 1 Lemon Zest
- 1 pack Extra Firm Tofu, drained and cut into small cubes (I used a 10.5oz pack)
Instructions
- In a big pot (a 5-quart Dutch oven), heat ½ cup of coconut milk over medium until it's boiling. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the curry powder, red chili powder, ginger and garlic to the boiling coconut milk and cook for a minute.
- Now stir in the vegetable broth, water, mushrooms, carrots, red bell pepper, soy sauce, remaining coconut milk and salt.
- Heat to boiling thereafter reducing the heat and simmer for a minute.
- Stir in broccoli (if using), sugar snap peas, green onions, lemon juice and lemon zest. Discard the ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cubed tofu and cook over medium-high heat for another 3 minutes.
My Notes
- I didn't have vegetable broth so used 5 cups of water instead of 4 cups of broth and a cup of water. If you are using store-bought vegetable broth then go easy on the salt because the broth itself will have a lot of sodium and the soy sauce too.
- Broccoli was not used in the original recipe but I used it. Make sure that you do not overcook the broccoli because it will get soggy and we don't want mushy broccoli in our soup. Do you? So if you plan to prepare the soup ahead, I would recommend not cooking the broccoli with the soup. Instead, prepare the soup and just before serving, steam the broccoli with a little salt for 5-6 minutes and stir it in the soup.
- Make it even healthier by adding baby spinach after stirring in the tofu and heat the soup just enough for the spinach to wilt.
Taste & Texture
- This was the first time I ever tried coconut milk in a soup recipe and I was not sure if I would like it. I wanted to come out of my comfort zone and try something new and I'm very glad that I did it because we all loved this Thai coconut soup very much. The flavor of coconut milk was not overpowering and it was just right with the blend of spices I had used in the recipe. Go for this Thai coconut curry soup. You won't be disappointed.
Nutrition
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trisha deguia says
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Punam Paul says
Can I use cauliflower in lue of broccoli because I don't like it's taste.
Madhuram says
Yes, that should be fine, Punam.
Swarna Mani says
Nice recipe Madhu
I am also strict vegetarian and cook a lot of thai dishes at home
I have the book
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Table-Feasting-Vegetarian-Style/dp/1570671613/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344445386&sr=8-2&keywords=thai+vegetarian
Which is Thai treasure for vegetarians. Ever penny is worth it. Basically I prepare curry paste based on the recipe in the book(can store upto a month in fridge) then use it in soups, stir frys and noodles.
Madhuram says
Thanks for the link Swarna. I'll take a look at it.
Krithika says
Made this today and this was a really yummy soup...thank you very much... Please post more soup recipes...
Madhuram says
You're welcome Krithika. I have lot more soup recipes to post. I'll get to it pretty soon.
Melody says
Hi Madhuram,
I tried this recipe and it turned out very tasty. My kids and husband, a big fan of thai food, absolutely relished it. I used Rajah Curry powder and substituted lemon zest with kafir lime leaves and would try Galangal instead of ginger to give it that authentic Thai touch. Your recipe works even without the special Thai ingredients and tastes like the authentic Thai soup.
You expressed interest in trying more vegetarian thai recipes - I took a cooking lesson with Phensri (instructor) here at New Jersey. She is known to teach cooking over Skype for those who cannot attend her classes. If you live in New York /New Jersey it's an very rewarding experience learning to cook Vegetarian Thai food from Phensri.
If you live in New Jersey or ever visit NJ, try "Four Seasons" Thai restaurant in Piscataway, NJ. The best in the state and never been disappointed with the vegetarian soups and main course they offer .
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Melody for trying the recipe as well as info. about Thai food/instructor. I'll definitely check out the restaurant when I'm in NJ the next time.
Manju says
Tried it on a winter gloomy day, it was an instant hit with my family. Thanks for a great recipe.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Manju. Could you rate the recipe?
Bhamathy says
Nice and interesting post..First time here..Great recipes..Do visit mine sometime.
Hari Chandana says
Woww.. Very interesting and healthy recipe.. looks absolutely inviting.. thanks for the recipe dear 🙂
Indian Cuisine
Anonymous says
Hi,
What is the "curry powder" that you used in this recipe? Any
specific brand ?
Madhuram says
Curry powder is available in Indian grocery stores and becoming more prevalent in American stores too. It's a blend of coriander, cumin, cinnamon and other Indian spices. I have used a South Indian brand called MTR. That company offers a lot of interesting blends and spices which are of high quality.
Cham says
Hehe, my husb is pretty much like you, he hates seafood smell and always end up eating nothing in his plate. I never recreated Thai food, this one looks delicious starter.
Priya says
What an excellent bowl, simply makes me hungry..delicious soup Madhu, thanks for sending.