Everyone needs a go to comfort food, for cold days or on days when you are feeling under the weather. Try this Coconut Curry Soup for a sweet and spicy flavored treasure that is light yet also fulfilling. This is our sister Nichole’s personal favorite comfort food recipe, not to mention, her sworn remedy for the common cold. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Coconut Curry Comfort Soup Ingredients
I love all of the fresh ingredients in this soup. You will need fresh ginger, yellow onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms (shiitake is preferred but any will do) and cilantro (optional if you are not a fan) from the produce department. From the International foods aisle at your market, look in the Asian section for a red curry paste, coconut milk, noodles of your choosing (Udon, Ramen, or rice noodles). Fish sauce is an optional ingredient but will add flavor and richness to this soup. Then you will also need vegetable or olive oil, chicken broth, and salt. This soup can be vegetarian or you can add a protein, like chicken or shrimp.
How to Make this Coconut Curry Soup
The Prep
First, prep the fresh veggies by washing and chopping red bell pepper, rinsing and slicing the mushrooms, chopping the onion and mincing the ginger. If you plan to use a protein, you can chop chicken into bite sized chunks OR if using shrimp, shell, devein, and rinse to have it ready. If using garnish, you can rinse and chop cilantro.
Making the Soup
Now you are ready to start. First, heat oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat. Next add the minced ginger and red curry paste in the oil and heat until combined and fragrant (1-2 minutes). If you are using chicken, add it at this point and cook until opaque. (If using shrimp, you will wait until a later stage). Once chicken is cooked through, add coconut milk and chicken broth. Then add fish sauce and salt. Let this simmer on medium for around 5 minutes. Next add the chopped onion and cook a bit longer (5 min), allowing to softly boil. Now, reduce the heat to low/ simmer and add the red pepper and mushrooms until softened. You can simmer on low while cooking the noodles separately according to package directions. At this stage, if you are using shrimp, you would add shrimp to the soup. Shrimp doesn’t take long to cook, so monitor closely for that opaque pinkish color and a c shape with a tender texture. Then remove the soup from the heat.
Serving the Curry Soup
Dish the soup into a bowl, add cooked and drained noodles, and garnish with cilantro, if using. So good!
Notes and Serving Suggestions
- You can prepare this soup in a crockpot as well.
- I added some sliced green onions to the top with cilantro because I had them and wanted to use them. It was a nice addition.
- Kid tip: My kids are not keen on high flavor and spice. So, I prepare this soup with a small amount of red curry paste up until the end stage, then I dish out a portion into a small sauce pan for the kids to simmer. Then I add (whisking it in, making sure no chunks and that it is dispersing and mixing in well) more curry paste to the large pot for my husband and I who like a little more flavor. Also- the kids love these noodles! Make extra if your kids are noodle people too.
- This soup is definitely a meal on its own, but for hungry growing kids, also adding a side of egg rolls or potstickers is an option.
Tati Nichole’s Coconut Curry Comfort Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
This Coconut Curry Soup is a sweet and spicy flavored treasure that is light yet also fulfilling.
Ingredients
- 4 T freshly minced ginger
- 1 T fish sauce (optional)
- 1/2 T olive or vegetable oil
- 1 T-2 T red curry paste (depending on spice preference)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cans coconut milk (13.5 oz cans)
- 1–2 tsp salt
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 16 oz sliced mushrooms (shiitake are preferred)
- 1 lb chicken (cubed) or shrimp (protein is optional)
- cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
- 8–10 oz udon, rice, or ramen noodles
Instructions
The Prep
- First, prep the fresh veggies by washing and chopping red bell pepper, rinsing and slicing the mushrooms, chopping the onion and mincing the ginger.
- If you plan to use a protein, you can chop chicken into bite sized chunks OR if using shrimp, shell, devein, and rinse to have it ready.
- If using garnish, you can rinse and chop cilantro.
Making the Soup
- First, heat oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat.
- Next add the minced ginger and red curry paste in the oil and heat until combined and fragrant (1-2 minutes).
- If you are using chicken, add it at this point and cook until opaque. (If using shrimp, you will wait until a later stage).
- Once chicken is cooked through, add coconut milk and chicken broth.
- Then add fish sauce and salt. Let this simmer on medium for around 5 minutes.
- Next add the chopped onion and cook a bit longer (5 min), allowing to softly boil.
- Reduce the heat to low/ simmer and add the red pepper and mushrooms until softened.
- You can simmer on low while cooking the noodles separately according to package directions.
- If you are using shrimp, you would add shrimp to the soup. Shrimp doesn’t take long to cook, so monitor closely for that opaque pinkish color and a c shape with a tender texture. Then remove the soup from the heat.
Serving the Curry Soup
Dish the soup into a bowl, add cooked and drained noodles, and garnish with cilantro, if using. So good!
Notes
- You can prepare this soup in a crockpot as well.
- I added some sliced green onions to the top with cilantro because I had them and wanted to use them. It was a nice addition.
- Kid tip: My kids are not keen on high flavor and spice. So, I prepare this soup with a small amount of red curry paste up until the end stage, then I dish out a portion into a small sauce pan for the kids to simmer. Then I add (wisking it in, making sure no chunks and that it is dispersing and mixing in well) more curry paste to the large pot for my husband and I who like a little more flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
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