Thai food is one of my favorites, it has a subtle sweetness to go with the complex flavor profile that comes from such ingredients as coconut milk, lemongrass, and chili peppers. When you’re deep in the throws of winter, nothing quite hits the spot like soup, so I decided to combine my love for Thai food with my craving for soup to make Thai Curry Shrimp Soup.
A fun fact about Thai cuisine, is that it serves as a reminder of Thailand’s rich history as a important cog in trade in Southeast Asia. One reminder of that would be in something that we consider synonymous with Thai cooking, the chili. The chili was in fact not native to Thailand, rather it was brought to Thailand by Portuguese traders in the 1500’s.
Good Thai food to me is rich in flavor while having that delicious pleasant aftertaste that comes from ingredients like coconut milk. This soup is really no different, it’s simple to make and satisfying.
I recommend using fresh shrimp for this soup if you have it, (make sure you devein the shrimp), also if you can stand it keep the shells and wrap them with a cheese cloth and use them in your broth. Your soup will taste unreal. (I say soup, but you can serve this with rice if you wanted too)
Recipe – Thai Curry Shrimp Soup
Ingredients
1lb of Fresh Shrimp (deveined)
1 Tbsp. of Thai Curry Paste
1 Cup of Diced Onions
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp. Butter
2 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Can of Coconut Milk
(Shrimp Shells Optional)
Method
Step 1- Devein your shrimp, this will take the longest. The vein is that dark black line that goes along the spine of the shrimp, once you’ve removed the shell, take a sharp knife and remove that part, it’s slimy and gross, my apologies.
Step 2- Once your shrimp is cleaned, keep the shells and wrap in a cheese cloth.
Step 3- In a large pot, heat your butter, once it foams add your onions, garlic, tomato paste,and ginger.
Step 4- Once the onions have softened, add your curry paste, stir for about 3 minutes.
Step 5 – Now add your cheese cloth that has the shrimp shells in it and then add the chicken broth.
Step 6- Boil for about half an hour.
Step 7 – Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in your coconut milk.
Step 8 – Now add your shrimp to the pot, cook until the shrimp is cooked ( about 10 minutes)
Step 9- Serve and enjoy!
