You’ve survived Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s is just around the corner. If food had a triathalon, it would be these three holidays. I feel like I do more eating in these five weeks than I do all year. Or maybe it’s just that I indulge in more of the things that I try and moderate the rest of the year like butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. But even I get to the point where I’m cupcaked out and looking for some balance.
This bowl of balance comes courtesy of Alice at Savory Sweet Life. It had been up on her blog all year without me knowing it. I only discovered it when she posted it over at the PBS Kitchen Explorers blog. Yes y’all, I get some of my recipes from a site targeting cooking with your kids. Here’s why, if it’s easy enough to make with a child, it has to be a pretty foolproof recipe. At the end of the day, I want to get dinner on the table before I run out of steam. Hence, recipes that are easy enough to make with a child are perfect for my weeknight dinners. Can you argue with that logic?
Even if you choose to argue the validity of my logic, once you taste Chicken Coconut Curry Soup, you won’t want to. Curry paste + coconut milk + veg + leftover chicken is a recipe for creamy, spicy success. Add some fish sauce for a bit of salty balance. Or not. It’s completely up to you.
I can’t promise that Chicken Coconut Curry Soup will undo all the cake, cookie, and eggnog damage. But maybe if you enjoy a nice big bowl of this before heading out to the last Holiday Triathalon event of 2010, you won’t be as inclined to reach for those extra cookies at the New Year’s Eve party.
Chicken Coconut Curry Soup
Adapted from Alice of Savory Sweet Life and PBS Kitchen Explorers
BAH Note: I used light coconut milk but I would bet good money that using regular coconut milk would result in a luscious, rich soup. Alice adds cooked rice to her soup. If you happen to have some handy, why not. I think I used one cooked chicken breast which may or may not have yielded exactly one cup of meat.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup cooked chicken meat, shredded or cubed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 cans chicken broth
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce
Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan set over medium heat and cook the onions and carrots for approximately 5 minutes. Add the curry paste, brown sugar, and fish sauce and cook another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the curry paste is completely incorporated. Add the chicken, chicken broth, and coconut milk to the pan stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.
Bon Appetit Hon 
Hmmm sounds lovely. We made a big pot of squash soup last night to combat all of the holiday food (no more HAM!!!). I wish I had a bowl of this to help with this cold I’m fighting.
Beth, this is on our menu for tomorrow. Instead of chicken, I’m using shrimp. Should be just what I need to start detoxing from all the holiday carbs. Maybe by Valentine’s Day I’ll be ready to pull the rest of the Christmas lasagna out of the freezer.
With the snow on the ground outside, this sounds like the recipe for me. Yum!
And don’t feel ashamed about getting recipes from kids cooking sites. I’ve done it before too, and they’re great for a quick, tasty meal. Embrace your inner child. 😉
Amy, if I could I would send over a big bowl of this soup for you. Because yes, it is perfect for a snowy day. I’m really looking forward to having some for dinner tomorrow.
Glad to know I’m not the only one getting recipes from kid’s cooking sites. Some days I only have the attention span and patience of a child. So it’s kind of fitting that I’d be drawn to them.
Yum. Yum. 🙂 Couldn’t agree more about needing a change of pace with food now that the feast-a-thon seems to have slowed somewhat 🙂 I know I’m going to love this little one, its got coconut & curry & chicken & its easy peazy…, thanks for sharing Wendi 🙂
Anna, I can’t imagine what it’s like to go from the food marathon of the holidays into swimsuit season. Thankfully, we’ve got a bit of a buffer on this side of the world before that happens. Hopefully this soup will help to get our minds off of cookies and cakes and sweets.
Mmm, I’ve been very much under the weather these past few days, and this soup looks like perfectly warm and spicy comfort food to me!
Tracy, I’m getting ready to cook some up tonight. I think it would a perfect remedy to whatever ails you.
This sounds yummy. I’ve been eating so much pumpkin soup in the last few months; it would be nice to shake that up with a bowl of soup made with coconut milk. I wonder if you could replace the red curry paste with green curry paste for a different flavor?
Sure you could Jen. I used red chili paste when I made it last night but didn’t consider that it might need more coconut milk to balance the heat. Fortunately, I had a second can of coconut milk and was able to tame it some.
I also used shrimp instead of chicken this time. Took a pound of raw shrimp (peeled) and cut them into bite sized pieces. After the soup had cooked for 15 – 20 minutes I killed the heat and added the shrimp. After about 5 minutes, the shrimp were done.
soup. you speak my language. and coconut milk makes everything oh so good!
Lan, I firmly believe soup is good food. I hope you’ll get to know Chicken Coconut Curry Soup.