A comfort food without the high caloric price tag.
This is a soup recipe that has been requested by friends, and is so good that I crave it. So I share it with you. Wonderful even during the summer, it also is fantastic comfort food when sick or on a cold day. You can tweak this dish with lite coconut milk, lime zest instead of lemongrass, or if you have access to Thai ingredients use kaffir lime and Thai basil.
Lemongrass is easy to grow and to use. Just the base of the peeled stalk is used as a flavoring. Cut it only in half so the pieces are easily found in the soup and put aside.
I’ve had it without tofu, and without mushrooms, and it is still wonderful. Put the lime in the coconut, and drink it all up! Don’t put too many extra veggies in it; it is a simple soup.
- 1 can (1 ½ cups) unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 fresh lemongrass stalk, peeled and halved (or 2 tsp. dried, or 1 tsp. lime zest)
- 1 bruised fresh or dried kaffir lime leaf, (if young can be sliced very thinly(or ½ tsp. lime juice)
- Two - three Thai basil leaves (optional)
- 3 cups mild vegetable stock
- ½ to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, or Thai coconut curry paste, or curry powder (depending on hotness desired)
- 1 package (12 – 14 oz) extra firm tofu (not silken)drained and cut into small cubes
- 15 oz canned straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed, or half-cup sliced button mushrooms
- 2 tsp. sugar or other tasteless sweetener
- 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce (I use Bragg’s Amino Acids instead)
- Salt to taste (opt.)
- Fresh lime juice to taste (opt.)
- Combine lemongrass, ginger, kaffir leaf, Thai basil leaves, and coconut milk with broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Add the curry paste a half-teaspoon at a time, stirring well and tasting for desired hotness.
- Stir in the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, and soy sauce.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes more.
- Taste before adding additional optional salt.
- Serve as is or over hot rice.
- Offer fresh lime to squeeze on top as desired (it makes the flavors pop).
