Coconut Curry Lemongrass Soup

Another great recipe to maximize your veggies. This is even purification program friendly. This is a great way to use up veggies that need to be eaten and to eat a large variety. You can eat this like a soup or you can put it over rice or quinoa or a Thai entrée. I found lemongrass pre-prepared at Fred Meyers. New Seasons caries it in its whole form. If you don't know what to do with lemongrass, watch the video below. It really helped me. Also I recently discovered that Thai Kitchen coconut milk cans contain BPA so I stopped using that brand. I now use Native Forest Organic brand. They are listed as non-GMO, Gluten free, and BPA free. Happy currying.

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons (or more) Thai curry paste or curry powder
5 scallions, thinly sliced, white and pale-green parts and dark-green parts divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1-inch piece peeled ginger, thinly sliced
6 cups mixed 1/4-inch-thick sliced vegetables (such as cabbage, green beans, summer squash, broccoli, and bell peppers)
2 lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, see video link below for how to prepare lemongrass
2 cups (or more) chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 13 1/2-oz. can light unsweetened coconut milk
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes (optional)
2 sprigs basil plus leaves for garnish
1 tablespoon (or more) fish sauce
Sea salt
Steamed rice or quinoa (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)


Heat oil in a large pot or wok over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add white and pale-green parts of scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often and reducing heat if necessary to prevent browning, until softened, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium; add vegetables and lemongrass. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just beginning to soften, 5–10 minutes. Add broth and coconut milk (add additional broth if needed to cover vegetables) and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, if desired, and basil sprigs; very gently simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. fish sauce, if desired. Season to taste with sea salt or more fish sauce or curry paste for extra flavor and spice, if desired. Garnish with dark-green parts of scallions and basil leaves. Serve with rice and lime wedges for squeezing over, if desired.

This recipe is adapted from www.bonappetit.com

Watch this video to learn how to prepare lemongrass: