Southwestern Green Curry Coconut Soup

Once upon a time, there was a lovely Thai princess that lived in a palace made of vegetables that floated over a sea of coconut milk. She loved her home, but spent her nights dreaming of far-away places. One evening, as she bathed herself in the glow of her favorite spaghetti western, something magical happened. She found herself transported to Texas, the land of tumblin’ tumbleweeds!

Soon she got hungry and made herself a cup of soup.

This kind of silly spin on the classic Thai coconut soup is anything but traditional. My Southwetern Green Curry Coconut Soup includes black beans, zucchini and sweet corn!

Ingredients

• 1 25 ounce can of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons green curry paste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or gf tamari)
• 1 lime
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• 25 ounces water
• 1 tablespoon sugar (preferably raw, palm or turbinado)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 zuchinni, sliced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels

Directions

1. Open the can of coconut milk, and skim the thick, top portion off of the top, and into a soup pot. It can be helpful to stick your coconut milk in the fridge for an hour or so before cooking to make this step easier. If you are just getting the can out of the cupboard, that’s ok, just be careful not to shake it up.
2. Add the green curry paste to the coconut cream in the soup pot, and heat it over medium to high heat.  You want to let the spices fry up in the fatty cream and become fragrant. Don’t worry about the mixture over-heating, coconut cream is sturdy stuff.
3. While the coconut and curry is cooking, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and minced jalapeno in a small bowl. Set is aside for later.
4. Add the rest of the can of coconut milk to the soup pot, followed by another twenty five ounces (or can-full) of water.
5. Increase the heat to high and let the soup come to a boil. Once it does, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer.
6. Add the salt and sugar to the soup, and stir well to make sure they dissolve. Next, add the carrots and beans.
7. Heat a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a little bit of cooking oil and spread it around with a spatula.
8. Saute the bell peppers and zucchini in the pan, heating them until they are cooked through, but still crispy. Set them aside on a dish, then saute the corn just enough to heat it through.
9. Add the cilantro-soy sauce mixture to the soup, then ladle it into bowls. Top the bowls with vegetables and serve.