Curry Soup

Family recipe

My husband’s family is originally from South East Asia, and the curry soup they make is delicious, bringing together both the flavors of Thailand and Cambodia.

I want to share the recipe here because it is made with plenty of vegetables, spices, and herbs, bringing you a unique harmony of different tastes.

The main ingredients are coconut milk, eggplant, raw and cooked vegetables, chicken or fish … and lots of fresh herbs and spices.

I do prefer make it without any animal protein, so for me I make a vegetarian curry, often adding chickpeas for protein. You can also try with plant-based meat.

Anyway, the combination of fresh herbs and spices is what makes this dish so unique. In this recipe, we used a ready-made curry paste from Cambodia.

Ingredients for 8 p.

• 1 chicken or fish (you can replace it with plant-sourced protein)
• 2-3 sweet potatoes
• carrots
• taro
• sunflower oil or olive oil
• 1 can of coconut milk (about 500 mL)
• Cambodian curry paste
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• 2 onions
• some corn shoots
• 1 kg green beans
• 3 medium eggplants
• a few lime leaves
• bamboo shoots
• galanga rhizome
• 1 bunch of mint
• Batavia lettuce
• 1 large cucumber
• 2 limes
• 1 packet of rice vermicelli
• Nuoc mam

In my family, we love to add some Tofu skin, which is mainly used in Chinese cuisine. If you want to try it, don’t forget to soak it for a few minutes before adding it to the broth near the end of cooking.

Preparation of the sweet potato

First, wash and peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into cubes, brush them with olive oil and cook them in the oven at about 200°C for 20-30 minutes. Lower the temperature if you see that the potatoes are browning. I love putting roasted sweet potatoes into my curry bowl; they add taste and crunchy texture to the soup!

Preparation of the broth

Cut the chicken into pieces. As just said, you can also make a vegetarian curry, if you prefer. I do.

1. Cut the onions lengthwise
2. Pour the sunflower oil into a pot and sauté the chopped onions, chicken pieces, and curry paste for five minutes
3. Pour in the coconut milk, the lemongrass stalk, prepared by beating it with a knife and tying a knot to release its aroma, and the kaffir lime leaves
4. Add 1 liter of water and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat
5. Season with five spoons of nuoc-mam (variable according to your taste)
6. In another pot, boil the green beans and eggplant cut into small pieces, then drain
7. Add the bamboo shoots, green beans, and eggplant to the coconut milk broth and simmer for half an hour

Cook the pasta

1. Cook the rice vermicelli in boiling water according to the cooking time indicated on the package (1-2 minutes)
2. Drain the vermicelli and put them under cold water to stop cooking
3. Clean the herbs – coriander, mint, bean sprouts, lettuce – and the cucumber cut into cubes

How to make a typical curry bowl

1. Put the herbs and chopped salad leaves in a bowl
2. Add the vermicelli
3. Add the oven-roasted sweet potato
4. Pour in the broth and season with fresh lime
5. Add bird’s eye chili, for an even spicier taste

Tips

Grow your herbs, for an even freshier flavor.

Have you ever tried curry? which ingredients are your favorite? Tell us in our instagram feed @daybydayplants_blog