I was inspired in the ‘international aisle’ at the grocery store the other day and bought a few new ingredients for my pantry. I tried a couple of them today in this soup I made for lunch. These measurements are approximate, as always… adjust to your liking.
Ingredients:
2 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lemongrass, sliced [fresh or jarred]
2 Tsp Coriander, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp Thai Hot Chili Sauce
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced or grated
2-3 Tbsp Scallions, white ends, sliced thinly
2 Chicken Thighs, pre-cooked, cut into chunks or shredded
1 Can Water Chestuts, cut into chunks
2 Cups Chicken Stock, low sodium
1/2 Can Coconut Milk
2 Tbsp Scallions, Green ends sliced
2 Cups Sugar Snap Peas, steams or blanched ahead of time
Method:
– Heat a medium sized pot and add olive oil
– Add lemon grass, chili sauce, ginger, coriander, sliced white ends of scallions and chicken, stir to coat and warm through, season with a little salt at this point
– When chili paste thickens and starts to turn darker, add the chicken stock to deglaze, bring to a simmer
– Add coconut milk and most of the green sliced scallions [reserve some for garnish] and bring back to a simmer, taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary
– Plate and serve – drop in handful of sugar snap peas per serving, garnish with dots of chili sauce and more green sliced scallions. Enjoy!
Notes:
– When I was making this, I was tasting along the way and I could have stopped before adding any liquid because the chicken tasted so good with the chili sauce, coriander, scallions and ginger – this could be used as part of a stir fry as-is…
– You can substitute shrimp, scallops, mussells or all of the above for the chicken, or leave it out for a vegetarian option
– If you don’t like spicy food, you can leave out the hot sauce or replace it with red pepper paste made from sweet bell peppers for the added color and sweetness, without all the bite
– I tried the jarred lemon grass for the first time today and have to say it was just okay – if you can get fresh, it’s worth it for the extra fresh flavor, but the jarred is great if you want to whip something up in a pinch…
Exercise[The]Demons 