Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup (Printable Version)

Creamy Thai soup with shrimp, coconut milk, red curry, lemongrass, and fresh herbs in a fragrant aromatic broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 12 oz large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Aromatics & Vegetables

02 - 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (optional)
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small onion, thinly sliced
06 - 3.5 oz mushrooms, sliced
07 - 1 small red chili, sliced (optional)
08 - 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger or galangal, sliced

→ Broth

09 - 14 fl oz coconut milk
10 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
11 - 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

→ Seasonings

12 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
13 - 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste
14 - 1 teaspoon sugar

→ Garnish

15 - Fresh cilantro leaves
16 - Lime wedges
17 - Sliced green onions

# Method:

01 - In a large pot over medium heat, add a splash of oil and sauté the onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger or galangal, and chili for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Stir in the red curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release its aroma.
03 - Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Add kaffir lime leaves if using. Bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes until just tender.
05 - Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, until pink and cooked through.
06 - Stir in fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lime juice, fish sauce, or sugar as desired.
07 - Remove lemongrass, ginger or galangal, and lime leaves.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in half an hour but tastes like you spent all day coaxing out those layered, aromatic flavors.
  • The broth is creamy without feeling heavy, and every spoonful has that addictive sweet, sour, salty, spicy thing going on.
  • You can dial the heat up or down and still end up with something that feels special and complete.
02 -
  • Don't skip smashing the lemongrass, if you just slice it you won't get nearly as much flavor out of it.
  • Taste before you serve because every brand of curry paste and fish sauce is different, you might need more lime or a little extra sugar to get it just right.
  • Pull the soup off the heat the second the shrimp are cooked, they'll keep cooking in the hot broth and turn tough if you leave them in too long.
03 -
  • Use the freshest shrimp you can find, frozen works fine but thaw them completely and pat them dry before adding to the soup.
  • If you can't find galangal, ginger is a solid substitute, just know the flavor will be a little warmer and less sharp.
  • Let the soup rest for a few minutes after cooking so the flavors can marry, it tastes even better after a short sit.
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