Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Ginger Chicken Soup



I wanted to make some chicken soup, but also wanted something a bit different than the usual, and very good, traditional flavour. So I thought about what I had in the fridge, and what I felt like, and ginger came to mind. A bit of red curry paste paired with the ginger made for a soup that was comforting and spicy and oh, so warming. I've made it again and like it even more.

1 T vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 leeks, sliced (white part and a bit of the green)
1 can coconut milk
4 cups chicken broth (homemade, or low-sodium)
1 sweet red pepper, diced
5 baby bok choy, sliced (white and green parts)
2 carrots, diced
1-2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
2 T fish sauce
1 T brown sugar
1-2 T lime juice
2 T fresh basil

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the red curry paste. Stir until fragrant and the oil is colored. Add the ginger and stir for about 1 minute. Add the leeks and continue stirring just until barely softening. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, sweet red pepper, and carrots and bring to a boil. Simmer gently until the carrots are almost tender, 15 - 20 minutes. Add the chicken and the bok choy. Simmer another 5 - 10 minutes.

Stir in the fish sauce, the brown sugar, the lime juice and the fresh basil. Taste the soup. There should be a nice balance of sweet, salty, and sour. Adjust the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar if needed.

Enjoy the fragrance and the taste - both are wonderful!

This is a very forgiving recipe - if you don't have leeks, use onions. No bok choy? Try kale or spinach. 

5 comments:

Tracey McBride ~ Frugal Luxuries® said...

Lorrie,

YUM! I have everything except the red curry paste (have never used it but will start now)! Thanks again for the great post. I'll be back soon to take a longer look (I'm taking a quick break and enjoying a cup of green tea :).

Warmly,
Tracey

Anonymous said...

What an interesting combination, curry and ginger. I would love to try it.

Linda Jo said...

I didn't know you had a recipe blog!!!!!!!!!

centenniel said...

Is red curry paste easily obtainable? I'd like to try this recipe since I like both ginger and curry flavors. If unable to find red curry paste, can you suggest an alternative? Thanks, Lorrie.

Lynne

Lorrie said...

Hi Lynne,

I couldn't find a way to contact you so I'm posting here.
Red curry paste is pretty easy to find. It's in the Thai section of your grocery store, in a small jar. You need a very little bit and so it lasts a long time.

I might consider trying red pepper flakes instead of the red curry paste. I don't think the traditional yellow curry would work as well - but I might be wrong. If you try something different I'd love to hear about it.

Lorrie