Thai Coconut Soup

Kafir Lime Trees are so special The lime and zest have a unique flavor, and the leaves are essential for Asian cooking.

In 2011, I was fortunate to be able to spend four months in Thailand studying tantric yoga. I had a simple one-room bamboo home with an outdoor living room and kitchen. Hot water was luxurious (it was $180 per month and that was expensive!). Did I mention it had a sea view? This style of simple, yet gorgeous living has continued to inspire me throughout the years. My husband and I live in a one room space in Ojai now, and we bathe and shower outside. Yes we eat off of our wedding china and his Nonna’s silver every day. We buy fancy food and ingredients, but for the most part we keep it super simple. It’s incredible how little we actually need to be happy.

As much as I would love to say I am great at cooking Thai food, I am not! My husband is a much better chef than me when it comes to making Asian food, but he even struggles with Thai. If you love coconut-based soup, this one is for you. It’s simple, nourishing, and delicious.

Part One:

6-8 cups vegetable broth (I start with 6, and sometimes I add a little more)

2 stalks lemongrass cut into chunks and bruised

A few 1 inch pieces of of galangal chunks (this is optional. I have had a hard time getting galangal since I moved to Ojai)

2 shallots cut into slices

7 (1 inch) pieces of ginger, sliced. You can leave the skin on or off (the trick for getting the ginger skin off is using the back of a spoon!)

3 kafir lime leaves. You can also use regular lemon zest, but the Thai lime leaves are where its at! We have a small tree and it’s lovely.

a few cilantro stems

If you like a little spice you can add a thai chili or two, or some cayenne

***Combine all ingredients and cook in a dutch oven or soup pot for 20-30 minutes. Remove all solids and compost.

Part Two:

Add:

2 cans of guar free full fat organic coconut milk (I like the Native brand)

1-2 shallots sliced

a few tbsp coconut aminos (optional, but I like what it adds to soup). You can also add a little tamari to taste.

1.5 cups carrots, diced

3 heads bok choy sliced

1 head broccoli rabe chopped, leaves included

handful of shiitakes, sliced (sometimes I like to pan fry the shiitakes first in a little tamari and coconut aminos, but they can also just be directly added to the soup.

*it’s optional, but I like to add kobocha squash cut into cubes as well

*Cook ingredients through. Add scallions, cilantro, and some lime juice before serving. If you can get your hands on some Thai basil, add that too. Enjoy!

*I like to add noodles to this soup before serving . Don’t add until you serve otherwise they get soggy. Nona Lim sells wonderful GF noodles in the refrigerated section at select health food stores.