Those who know me, know that once upon a time, I was a young, enthusiastic, hustling lady trying to work her way up the music industry ladder in NYC. Okay. All of those things are still true except that I don’t live in NYC anymore--I live in Nashville. And I miss it. I miss it so much that my friends reading this are probably rolling their eyes because even when I’m not in the room with them I manage to bring it up. I also really missed Atlanta when I lived in NYC. You see, I have this bad habit of completely falling in love with every place I’ve ever been. (Except Wildwood, FL. That place can kick rocks.)
I fell in love with Thai food and Indian food when I moved to NYC. Honestly, I fell in love with good Asian food in general. The intricacy of spicing, the bright contrast of flavors, the warm, toasty creaminess of coconut milk. I tend to try to live through those missed places and cities and experiences again via food. I made biscuits in NYC that reminded me of Atlanta. And when I want to feel New York, and feel a little bit better about my decision to leave, I make this soup. Especially if it’s cold and rainy outside, which it was the night I photographed it. And subsequently devoured it.
This soup is so easy. It’s a true one pot wonder. AND you can make it vegetarian by just subbing in vegetable broth for chicken broth. The red curry paste gets all kinds of friendly with the garlic and ginger, and magic happens. And don’t sleep on the garnishes. The cilantro, lime, and red onion or pivotal to adding a fresh, bright flavor profile to the dish.
I normally use regular rice noodles in this, and I’m mixing countries up here but soba noodles are also great. Love a buckwheat noodle.
Thai Noodle Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 gloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
8 cups chicken broth / vegetable broth
1 pack of rice noodles or soba noodles
1 bunch bok choy
1 pack white mushrooms, sliced
1 can coconut milk
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup cilantro
¼ small red onion, cut in very thin slices.
**Optional: 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken or cubed Tofu for some extra protein goodness.
Prepare the bok choy and mushrooms: Wash the bok choy, and cut off the ends of the white stems where it’s really wide. Separate the white stems from the green leaves. Set aside the green leaves, and chop up the stems into bite sized pieces.
In large dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium, and add in garlic and ginger. Saute for approximately 2 minutes, and add in red curry paste. Saute red curry paste with aromatics for 3-4 minutes.
Add in chopped up stalks of bok choy and mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Pour in broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the coconut milk and stir; keep it simmering, and then add in the noodles and green bok choy leaves. Let the noodles soften, about 7 minutes. If you're adding in chicken or tofu, now is the time to add it.
Season the broth to taste. It will probably need about a teaspoon of salt,--but taste it first and season to your liking.
Serve with a lime wedge, a few slices of red onion and sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!
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