I love Thai food and flavors. When I was traveling in Thailand, the broths and soups were so delicious I just wanted to drink them, forget the spoon!
With all the many great jarred curry pastes available (typically in the Asian section of your grocery store) these glorious Thai soups are a cinch. This Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup recipe has got to be the easiest one you’ll ever make. It tastes like that warming bowl of coconut and curry broth from your favorite Thai restaurant. It’s also low-fat, low-calorie, and high in protein. A great dinner for DETOX month, after the holidays.
I was a picky kid, and often had to eat around things I didn’t like. I’m still not a fan of certain foods and my heart goes out for kids all over who may be sitting in front of a bowl of shrimp soup, and can’t stomach shrimp! My mom might disagree, after all she is “not a short-order cook” as she liked to remind me; but I am fine if every once in a while you throw your kid a bone and adjust a recipe so they can enjoy it! LOL! I offered a kid-ifying option for my Chicken Tomato Bisque as well.
I swap the shrimp for chicken or tofu for a change (and to kid-ify this recipe if you need to). Both options cook in just a few minutes and keep this soup prep to under 30 minutes.
LOW FAT SOUP SECRETS
If you’re on a soup kick but want to keep the calories in check, take into consideration some of these low-fat soup secrets!
•For creamy soups, replace heavy cream with whole or evaporated milk.
•Try using smashed white beans or mashed potatoes instead of butter and flour as thickeners.
•Choose lean cuts of meat; try turkey bacon or chicken sausage.
•If you need more moisture when you’re cooking vegetables, add fat-free broth in place of butter or oil.
•Use canned low-sodium broth instead of water to add flavor to soup that doesn’t have a lot of time to simmer and cook.
Never tried Thai cooking? This mildly spicy dish will turn you into a huge fan.
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14-oz can unsweetened light coconut milk
- 1 tsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (nahum plah)
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (4 oz) green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, combine chicken broth, coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add green beans and cook 2 min. Add shrimp and cook until pink, 5 min. Top soup with scallions and serve with lime.
Notes
If you'd like you can swap the shrimp for thinly sliced chicken breast or even diced tofu. To make it completely pescatarian (not vegetarian because of the fish sauce) use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
Recipe by Tara Bench
Originally published in Ladies’ Home Journal Feb 2009
Photography: Sang An
Prop Stylist: Tiziana Agnello
Food Stylist: Jee Levin
