Carissa Miss: Thai Coconut Soup

I'm moving. that means I get to do things like eat ice cream even after I've already had a piece of cake. that means I let Eliza watch more TV than necessary. that means I go to bed exhausted every night. that means dinner can't be a headache. we have been trying to not eat out a ton since, you know, all our money is going to a down payment, but sometimes I just crave me Asian food. Up until a couple months ago, cooking Asian food was really intimidating because of ingredients like fish sauce or sesame oil or hoisin sauce, I mean, does it really NEED that? Well, I finally build up the courage to try my first Thai dish and it had it all: rice noodles, curry, lemon grass, bean sprouts, etc. I am SO GLAD I DID. Now I cook Asian food regularly because now that I have those NECESSARY special items it's a breeze. That $3.98 fish sauce has been totally worth it.

Well, just so you know this rambling has a purpose, I'm providing you with the recipe of that first THAI CURRY SOUP I tried. Maybe if it had tasted horrible I would have never cooked Thai again, but, it didn't:)

Thai Coconut Soup--via unknown source I tried to track it down unsuccessfully. I'm sure there are plenty of similar recipes out there since it's a fairly common dish.

Start to Finish: 40-45mins
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cans 14oz coconut milk
1 Tbs curry paste
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed well
2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1 carrot, shredded
1 Tbs lime juice, to taste
lemon grass stalks optional, but advised!
2 Tbs fish sauce
about 1/2 tsp ginger, to taste.
1 pkg 8oz rice noodles I used dehydrated rice sticks because that's what my small Asian section in the grocery store carries. 8oz really is tooo much.
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
bean sprouts
soy sauce

Directions:
1. Scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of just one of the cans into a large pot over med-high heat. melt the cream and add the curry paste. Stir for a few minutes until sizzles.
2. Add just the cilantro roots and chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through.
3. Add the coconut juice from the first can and all the contents of the second along with the chicken broth, carrot, lime, lemon grass, fish sauce and ginger. Simmer for 20 mins or so.
4. Stir in bean sprouts. Add rice noodles, gently pushing them beneath the surface of the broth. Turn off heat and let stand until the noodles soften, about 5 mins.
5. Stir in cilantro leaves. Remove lemon grass stalks. Taste and season with more salt or soy sauce as needed. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve.

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