Recipe Thai-ish Coconut Soup

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Have you ever looked up a recipe, trying to find the Correct version of it, only to find that there are dozens of iterations (and maybe more) that all claim to be that recipe? Thai coconut soup certainly falls into that category. There are several claiming to be "authentic", and - as always - a few that add The Best to the title of the recipe (i.e., The Best Thai Coconut Soup). As I've said many times before, this is a guaranteed way to ensure I won't look at the recipe: how dare they declare that their recipe is The Best? I'm sure they're good, but I can very happily build a recipe without having to be irritated by the title every time I look at it.

Build a recipe is what I find I always do, rather than follow a recipe. I can't think of many times I've followed a recipe exactly, including ones I've made myself. The funny thing about this recipe is that I posted 2 Thai Coconut Soup recipes to this forum previously, and I didn't even think to look for those before I made this one:

Recipe - Thai Coconut Soup
Recipe - Thai Coconut Miso Soup

And so, what I made here is different than those. What this recipe has in common with those is that I really liked the end result. This is always my goal when building a recipe...particularly because I've been in a funk for a while because of issues outside the kitchen. This one felt good.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon chili oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon garlic, grated
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
40 ounces (1.2 liter) coconut milk - 3 cans
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock (or vegetable stock if a vegan recipe is desired)
1 ounce lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon dried Thai basil
8-10 green onions, diced (including the white part)
2 ounces (56 g) cilantro, diced (including the stems)
10 ounces (283 g) extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
4 ounces (113 g) mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs (or use cornstarch if a vegan recipe is desired)
Soy sauce, to taste
Sambal, to taste and desired heat level

Directions

1. Add oils to a large pot and raise heat to medium-high. Add diced garlic and ginger and stir frequently until browned, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in chicken stock. Shake each can of coconut milk thoroughly, then open and add to the pot. If necessary, scoop remaining milk solids from the can and whisk into the broth. Whisk in lemongrass paste.

3. Stir in Thai basil, cilantro, and green onions. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Then, stir in mushrooms and tofu, and cook for another few minutes.

4. Whisk together eggs in a bowl, then slowly drizzle a stream of egg into the pot while whisking. Once fully blended, heat for another few minutes. Add soy sauce and sambal as desired. Lower heat and simmer for another few minutes, then serve.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Love it!