Ingredients
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2” galangal root, sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
5 large kaffir lime leaves
1 rounded tablespoon red curry paste
7 cups chicken stock (homemade is best)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 oz palm sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
3/4 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed, and deveined (optional)
1/3 cup heavy cream, optional
fresh lime juice
salt to taste
chopped cilantro
chili oil, optional
Instructions
- In a 4 quart heavy bottomed pot, add the oil and turn the heat to medium. Once the oil is warm, add the shallots, lemongrass, and galangal, and cook for 2- 3 minutes, until the shallots start to soften. Add the kaffir lime leaves and curry paste and cook for 2 minutes, until the curry paste is fragrant. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken broth has reduced by a bit, use a slotted spoon to remove the galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Add the chicken, coconut milk, heavy cream, palm sugar, and fish sauce and bring to a gentle simmer.
- After about 20 minutes, the chicken should be cooked through. At this stage, the mushrooms can be added directly to the soup but I actually like to sauté them in a cast iron with a little oil first to brown them, it’s entirely up to you! If you’re using shrimp, add them in with the mushrooms and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Season the soup to taste with salt and lime juice (I personally like lots of lime juice).
- Ladle the soup into bowls, topped with chopped cilantro and chili oil, if desired.
Notes
This soup doesn’t normally have shrimp in it, but I like to add it for extra protein and flavor.
See the above notes on where to source ingredients!
I like to add heavy cream to the soup for extra creaminess. This is how I did it back in my restaurant days. This is not traditionally and it’s totally optional.
Keywords: soup