Thai Chicken Soup

So I have mentioned my goal of making soups to eat all week long.  It is something I love doing and love eating even more.  I love being able to open the fridge and pull out some soup, heat it up and have a wonderful warm meal to eat in minutes.  I also love that it is homemade and not from a can.  I hate cans! Another thing that I love about this recipe is that it comes from a very dear friend of mine, as many of my soup recipes do.  I love this person to no end and love that she shares her amazing cooking skills with me.  I must say I am one of the luckiest girls in the world as all of my friends are super talented and willing to share those talents with me!  They are all great cooks and I benefit from their skills and generosity.  You can never share recipes too often I say!
Anyway, soup.  So far in January I have made Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Ginger and Collard Greens (sounds scary but so delicious!), Corn Chowder, and this Thai Chicken Soup twice.  I love anything asian, anything with lime, ginger, garlic or curry and I love ANYTHING with cilantro in it!  
If you are looking for a new soup or wanting something slightly off the normal chicken soup but with BIG flavour, try this soup.  It will bring a smile to your face, warmth to your belly and you can share it with a friend who will love you forever for it!

Thai Chicken Soup
adapted from a recipe from a dear friend who got it off the internet somewhere

2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ red bell pepper, diced

1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms 

4-4 ½ cups chicken stock

2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (about the same as the red pepper)

2 Tbsp. Gourmet Garden lemon grass paste (tube or real thing, if you can find it)

1 tsp. Fish sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 cup half and half cream (10%) or I usually just use heavy cream as I always have it on hand (you could mix heavy cream and whole milk as well)

3/4 cup coconut milk

1-1 ½ tbsp Red curry paste

1 ½-2 tsp. Sambal oelek chilli paste (or siracha, as an alternative, but only about 1 tsp, depending on if you want it spicy)

3 Tbsp. Tomato paste

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1-2 cups cooked rice (long grain white, basmati or brown)

Fresh cilantro or basil leaves shredded (Thai basil would be great if you could get it)
Lime wedges for garnishing

Cook rice and set aside

Heat large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. Oil. When hot, add mushrooms and cook until golden and tender. Remove to a plate. In same pot, add remaining 1 Tbsp. Oil and heat. Add onion, red pepper, and sauté until just softened. Return mushrooms to pot. Add broth and chicken and heat through. Add lemon grass paste, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Add milk, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, add curry paste, Sambal Oelek, tomato paste, 3 Tbsp. Water and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Stir into soup until combined and heat until soup simmers and thickens very slightly and has a velvety appearance. Add cooked rice (only as much as you like in your soup), cover and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can now add more curry paste/tomato paste, sambal oelek to taste at this point as well.  Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges, if you wanna but who doesn't want some extra lime in their life?!?

Go forth and cook, my pretties!