Yellow Thai Chicken Soup

The original recipe uses green Thai curry paste but I had yellow. This is a lovely fragrant soup and you could bulk it out a bit with the addition of some noodles. I had it for lunch with a scone and that was fab too.

Yellow Thai Chicken Soup (from Good Food Magazine August 2011)
(Serves 8)

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g pack skinless chicken thigh fillets, finely chopped
4 garlic clove, finely sliced
285g jar Thai yellow curry paste
400ml can coconut milk
1¾l chicken stock
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
280g green beans, trimmed and halved
150g pack bamboo shoot
juice 2 limes
small bunch basil, chopped

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 3 mins to soften. Add the chicken and garlic, and cook until the chicken changes colour.

Add the curry paste, coconut milk, stock, lime leaves and fish sauce, then simmer for 12 mins. Add the spring onions, green beans and bamboo shoots and cook for 4-6 mins, until the beans are just tender.

Add the lime juice and basil to the soup and heat through. Serve.

Thai Squash Soup

With the first of my large squash haul I made soup. I used 2 onion squash, which made enough for 3 servings. It lovely and lightly spicy this soup.

Thai Squash Soup (from Veg Hog)
(Serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 cm fresh ginger, chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 small pumpkin or 2 small squashes, cut into chunks
1l vegetable stock
1 lemongrass stick
3 kaffir lime leaves
160ml coconut cream
2 tsp miso
juice 1 lime
2 tsp brown sugar
handful coriander leaves, chopped

Heat a large saucepan with a tbsp of oil, add the onion and fry until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for about 1 min more. Add the cumin and coriander and stir well. 

Add the squash or pumpkin to the pan. Fry for a couple of mins and then add the vegetable stock.

Pour the coconut cream into the soup. Add the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves cover and leave to simmer for 25-30 mins over a medium heat.

Add the lime juice, miso, sugar and coriander. Remove the kaffir lime leaves and the lemongrass from the soup.

Once the squash is soft, puree the soup and serve.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals: Thai Chicken Laksa

This is possibly one of the best things I have made recently. I loved the flavours and it was so easy to make. I used beans instead of asparagus as that's what I had in the fridge but the addition of butternut squash was just genius.

Thai Chicken Laksa (from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals)
(Serves 4)

For the chicken
4 skinless, boneless higher-welfare chicken thighs
1 heaped tsp Chinese five-spice
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 fresh red chilli

For the laksa
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 butternut squash, (neck end only)
2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece ginger
1 fresh red chilli
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ bunch spring onions
1 heaped tsp peanut butter
4 dried kaffir lime leaves
½ bunch fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
300g medium rice noodles
2 bunches asparagus, (600g)
1 x 400 g tin of light coconut milk
3 limes

Ingredients out, Kettle boiled, Griddle pan, high heat, Large lidded pan, high heat, Food processor (coarse grater & bowl blade)

On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper and the five-spice. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken to 1.5cm thick with a rolling pin. Place on the hot griddle pan, turning after 3 or 4 minutes, until nicely charred and cooked through. Pour about 800ml of boiling water into the large pan and crumble in the stock cube

Trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end (don't peel, and keep the seed end for another day), then grate and tip into the boiling stock. Swap to the bowl blade in the processor and add the peeled garlic and ginger, the chilli, turmeric, trimmed spring onions, peanut butter, dried lime leaves, coriander stalks (reserving the leaves), sesame oil, soy and fish sauces. Blitz to a paste, then tip into the stock and add the noodles

Trim the asparagus and cut in half. Add to the pan, pour in the coconut milk, and as soon as it boils, taste, correct the seasoning with soy sauce and lime juice, then turn the heat off. Drizzle the honey over the charred chicken, squeeze over the juice of 1 lime, scatter with the sesame seeds and toss to coat. Serve with the laksa and lime wedges, sprinkling everything with the coriander leaves and slices of fresh chilli.

Duck and Green Bean Thai Curry

This was really delicious and flavourful and the long cooking time made the duck so tender. It also wasn't ridiculously hot, just nice and spicy.

Duck and Green Bean Thai Curry (from Good Food Magazine June 2008)
(Serves 4)

3-4 duck breasts, about 700g/1lb 9oz in total

6 tbsp green or yellow Thai curry paste

1 tbsp light brown sugar

400ml can coconut milk

2 tbsp fish sauce

juice 2 limes

6 kaffir lime leaves, 3 left whole and 3 finely shredded

200g French beans, trimmed

100g baby corn, halved

handful coriander leaves

 

Place a frying pan over a low heat and add the duck breasts, skin-side down, to the dry pan. Slowly fry until the skin is brown and a lot of the fat has rendered off – this can take about 20 mins. Flip them over to seal the other side for 1 min, then remove to a board until cool enough to handle. Pour all but 2 tbsp of the fat from the pan.

While the meat is resting, return the pan to the heat, then fry the curry paste and sugar for 1-2 mins until it becomes fragrant. Tip in the coconut milk, then fill the can with water and add this, too. Add the fish sauce, half the lime juice and the whole lime leaves, then bring to a simmer. Slice the duck breasts, then tip into the curry. Cover the pan, then simmer everything on the lowest heat for 1 hr until the duck is tender. Add the beans to the curry, then continue to cook, covered, for 10 mins until the beans are tender with a slight crunch. Taste and add more lime juice, fish sauce or sugar to season.

 

Stir in the baby corn, cook for 1-2 mins more, sprinkle over the coriander and shredded lime leaves. Serve over rice.

Thai Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans and Lime Leaves

This was a really quick and easy evening meal. I served it with rice as recommended and it was really delicious, just the right amount of spice for me. I did make a couple of changes, I used used yellow instead of red curry paste and I halved the amount of sugar used.

Thai Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans and Lime Leaves

(from Daily Unadventures in Cooking)

(Serves 2)

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large chicken breast, sliced into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp yellow curry paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 handfuls green beans, chopped into 2in pieces
2 tbsp fish sauce
6 lime leaves, sliced thinly

 

Heat a large frying pan and add the tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and stir fry for a min or so, you want to see a bit of colour on all sides but not cooked through.
 

Add the curry paste, brown sugar and a few tablespoons of water. Stir until it bubbles. Add the green beans and stir fry for 3 minutes. 

Add the fish sauce and the lime leaves. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked and the beans are tender. If you find it is getting a bit dry, add a little more water. Serve with rice