Easy Thai Coconut Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
1 stalk lemongrass, minced
2 teaspoons red curry paste
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 (13 1/2 ounce) cans coconut milk
1/2 lb fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined or 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced thin
2 cups steamed white rice or 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste in the heated oil for 1 minute.
Slowly pour the chicken broth over the mixture, stirring continually. Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar; simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and mushrooms; cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. If using chicken, skip to step 5.
Add the shrimp; cook until no longer translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and lime juice; season with salt; garnish with cilantro.
For chicken: add chicken to soup along with mushrooms and poach gently 30-40 minutes until cooked through. Stir in the rice and lime juice; season with salt; garnish with cilantro.