Warming Thai Red Curry Soup

• This is a seriously heartwarming soup, the scent of lemongrass and red curry paste alone will do you in. It's fast to put together and oh so "clean". 
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• Here's my take:

2 big nests of (good for 4 bowls) or more of rice noodles (thicker pad thai noodles work best)

Boil these noodles for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.

Never cook the noodles in your soup, they just get mushy...

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• Saute:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (really don't need much)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced lemon grass- tip... remove the hard exterior of the stalk. Crush down on the softer core with your knife to release the flavour and mince
• 1 tbls. fresh grated ginger

Stir these together for a couple of minutes

Add:

• 2 heaping teaspoons red curry paste
• a bit of a (32 ounce) carton chicken broth to melt the paste, then add the rest
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 tablespoon white sugar
1 tsp. fish sauce for depth

Let this come to a boil and then simmer on low for about 15 minutes. 

Add:

• 1 (13.5 ounce) can reduced-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup peeled and deveined medium shrimp ( I use frozen uncooked shrimp)
• 1 large carton of sliced fresh mushrooms, essential to this soup!
• Chopped stalks of fresh coriander ( use the leaves later) 

Once simmered enough to cook the shrimp, about 5 minutes, add:

1 big bag baby or whole leaf spinach leaves...lots

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ( or to the individual bowl)
• lots of chopped cilantro
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Place some noodles at the bottle of each serving bowl, and pour soup on top. Garnish with lime juice, fresh cilantro and a hit of your favorite hot sauce. Mine is Sambal Oleak.

This is a major winner!!  Enjoy

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Aromatic Vegetable Coconut Curry

Talk about comfort food...this dish will fill your home with incredible aroma of that bowl of curry you have been craving just when the Fall weather begins and in the dead of winter.

There are so many curry variations that we love around here but those with an onion and cinnamon flavour base are among our favorites. ( see Vij's Curry chicken recipe, an earlier post.) This vegetable curry is so heartwarming with a luxurious coconut milk infusion that gives it that extra panache.

The key for this recipe is the curry sauce itself, and chickpeas are a must.  A real "must-go" dinner...empty the fridge of all your vegg, any vegg will do. Prepare everything in advance and don't skimp on the cayenne pepper!

Prepare the following in a small bowl before you start cooking:
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 heaping tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3/4 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp.  garam masala

Start by sauteing the following in some canola oil until golden:
1-2 large yellow onions, diced
1 stick of cinnamon

Then add and stir for a minute or so:
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (2 Tbsp.)

Prepare 1 large chopped fresh tomato or canned whole tomatoes (no juice), about a cup.

First, add the above spices to the onion mixture to toast for a minute or so. Then add the tomatoes. The oil will separate a bit once cooked for a couple of minutes.

To this, add your vegg options, diced- any or all of the following:
Carrots
Cauliflower
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Can of drained chickpeas...A MUST!
Any root vegg is nice...
 To the vegg mixture, add:
1 cup coconut milk

And low salt chicken broth or vegetable broth, or even just water, enough to cover the vegetables. 

Ground black pepper

Bring this to a boil and let simmer on low. If you want a little thickness to the sauce, make a slurry of cornstarch with warm water.

**At the complete end of the cooking process, throw in big handfuls of baby spinach or any greens, green beans, frozen peas, snow peas etc. They just need a minute to cook so they won't be soggy and add a crunch factor.

MUSTS: these extras give the curry a boost of freshness at the end of the cooking process, just before serving: spritz each serving with fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro. 

Top with Greek yogourt when serving on scented basmati rice. To the rice when cooking, add crushed cardamom, a piece of lemon and a bay leaf.

Packs a punch!!!

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