Wicked Thai Chicken Soup

This soup is absolutely delicious and has been slightly adapted from a recipe found on the Foodbuzz. It has a lovely Thai flavor. If you have left over chicken make this soup instead of chicken noodle. It is quite hardy and can be served as a meal or to start in smaller portions.


Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (a standard size tray package)
4 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breasts or 3 cups left over chicken, cut into small dice
2 Tbsp. Gourmet Garden™ Lemon Grass herb paste (the stuff in the tube or the real thing, if you can find it)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup half and half (10%) cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoon red curry paste
1 1/2 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili paste
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste (to taste)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups cooked rice (long grain white or brown rice)
Fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves shredded for garnish

Instructions: 
Cook rice and set aside (or use left-over cooked rice).
Heat large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil. When hot, add mushrooms and cook until golden and tender. Remove to a plate. In same pot, add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and heat. Add onion, red pepper, and sauté just until softened. Return mushrooms to pot. Add broth and chicken and heat through. Add lemon grass paste, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Add cream and coconut milk, turn heat to low, then cover and simmer 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, add curry paste, Sambal Olenek, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp. water and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Stir into soup until combined and heat until soup simmers, thickens very slightly and has a velvety appearance. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. (You can also add more curry paste, tomato paste and/or Sambal Oelek to taste at this point, as well).
Pour soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, parsley or basil leaves and serve with additional Sambal Oelek for those who prefer a hotter soup.

Number of servings 4-6

Link to Recipe: Wicked Thai Chicken Soup

Cook rice and set aside

heat 1 TBSP oil and mushrooms in a dutch oven or large pot

Cook until tender and set aside

chop 1/2 cup onion

chop 1/2 red bell pepper

Add remaining oil and saute until softened

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups chopped chicken

Return saute mushrooms, broth and chicken to the pot

Add lemon grass paste, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer  as per the directions

Add coconut milk and half and half 

Simmer on low heat for two minutes

Combine red curry paste, chili garlic sauce, tomato paste, cornstarch and water

mix until incorporated

Add mixture to soup along with rice and cover. Simmer for 5 mintues

Garnish and serve