Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup

When Mr. S and I got married, we decided to go to a resort in Phuket, Thailand for our honeymoon. We aren't really beach people, and didn't spend much time filling our bathing suits with sand. Most of our days were spent planning our next meal. Mmmmm.

The swanky hotel offered Thai cooking classes, that included a trip to the local market. Our class had a few other ladies in it, making Mr. S the most popular (and only) man in the room. He was quite pleased with himself. Ever the bad boy, he put all of the bird's eye chili pieces in his soup. The other ladies were quite impressed. I enjoyed watching the large beads of sweat form as he ate it. Hah.

Part of the reason we took the class was to get the cookbook. It's a good one, albeit a little simplified. I'm pretty sure that we added more stuff when we made this soup in class. Thus, I took the recipe in the book and tweaked it.

This is totally the easiest soup ever. 

Start off with coconut milk and chicken stock over medium low heat.

 Then, chop chop! Serrano pepper (it's what the grocery store had) cut in half, ginger cut in large chunks, and lemon grass in split chunks. 

Toss it all in the pot and bring to a boil.

Then, clean the shrimps but leave the tails on. Once the pot's a-boiling, toss those suckers in.

Then add the sugar and fish sauce. Wait until the shrimps are cooked.

While you're waiting, the shallot and cilantro need a fine dice, and a lime should be ready for juicing. These are important for topping the soup. Not an option.

Make up your bowls - better count those shrimp or someone will count them for you. And steal one out of your bowl.

Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup

Serves 2

Adapted from the Ginja cookbook

1 c. chicken stock

1 can coconut milk

1 serrano chili (or bird's eye, if you can find them)

1 inch of ginger

2 inches of lemongrass

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

8 large shrimp

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tbsp diced shallot

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Heat the chicken stock and the coconut milk in a medium saucepan. Slice the chili in half and toss it in the pot. Cut the skin off the ginger and chop it into 3 pieces. Cut the lemon grass into 3 pieces, and split them in half. Toss it all in the pot. 

Bring the mixture to a boil. Clean the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Gently slide the shrimp in. Add the sugar and the fish sauce and boil until the shrimp are pink and curled. 

Take the pot off the heat. Add in the lime juice and stir. Dish out the soup into 2 bowls. Garnish with chopped shallots and cilantro. If you want to add a few sliced rings of another chili, feel free. 

According to the cookbook, this soup goes well with white wine. I'm not one to argue.