Slow Cooker Thai Coconut Soup (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
01 -
Half of one onion, sliced
02 -
2 cloves garlic, chopped
03 -
Half of one red jalapeño pepper, sliced (or a couple Thai chiles, halved)
04 -
3 quarter-inch-long slices galangal (or ginger)
05 -
1 lemongrass stalk, pounded with the side of a knife, cut into 2-inch-long pieces
06 -
10 lime leaves, torn (optional)
07 -
1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste
08 -
4 cups chicken broth
09 -
2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream)
10 -
2 small chicken breasts (approximately 1 pound), cut into bite-sized pieces
11 -
8 ounces white mushroom caps, sliced
12 -
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
13 -
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
14 -
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
15 -
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
16 -
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
# Instructions:
01 -
Add onion, garlic, jalapeño or chile, galangal or ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, red curry paste, and chicken broth to slow cooker. Stir to incorporate, then cover slow cooker with lid.
02 -
Cook on high heat for 2 to 3 hours, or low heat for 4 to 6 hours. After cook time is up, use slotted spoon to remove all aromatics, leaving broth behind.
03 -
Add in coconut cream or milk, chicken breast (or tofu or shrimp), and mushrooms. Cook on high heat 1 hour or low heat 2 hours, or until chicken breast pieces are cooked through.
04 -
After cooking, add sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Taste and add more of each ingredient as desired. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
# Notes:
01 -
Shrimp Variation: Use 1 pound of raw shrimp instead of the chicken. Cook until shrimp is pink, slightly curled, and no longer translucent.
02 -
Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth or a vegan chicken broth. Sub chicken with a 1-pound block of firm or extra firm (can be regular or silken) tofu cut into cubes. Use soy sauce to taste instead of fish sauce, or use a vegan fish sauce.
03 -
Make it Whole30: Use compliant chicken broth. Replace brown or coconut sugar with 2 tablespoons coconut aminos and use a compliant fish sauce without sugar (the only one I know of is Red Boat Fish Sauce).