Ten years ago, my friend Ann made this soup for our family when we moved into our house. This has become one of my favorite soups and I like to prepare when I’m in a jam and need dinner quickly! It is quite easy, tasty, and perfect for a cold winters night. The blend of coconut milk and red curry paste is the perfect combination for a Thai style soup without any fuss. I will warn you though, it does have a nice kick to it. It will warm your bellies and leave you feeling satisfied. If you don’t like spicy food, just reduce the amount of curry paste to your liking.
I typically prepare this soup whenever I have leftover chicken and rice stored in my freezer. What I love about this recipe is that it doesn’t require exact amounts of anything. It’s a little bit of this.. a little bit of that. Before you know it, you have an awesome soup your friends and family will love! Enjoy!
(PS: If you make this soup for your friends who just had babies, I promise you.. You will be a Rock Star because all they’ve been eating since they’ve been home with a new baby is 10 different types of lasagnas and red sauce pasta dishes.)
Note: The only Asian ingredients you need is red curry paste and coconut milk. Fish sauce is optional. Not having fish sauce is no problem. I’ve posted pictures of the ingredients I used below because someone emailed me asking for the brands of the Asian ingredients I use. For the coconut milk and fish sauce I have no particular brand I am loyal to. I just happened to buy Chaokoh coconut milk and Squid brand fish sauce because they were on sale. However, I do like the Mae Ploy brand curry pastes. These ingredients can be found in most Asian grocery stores or in the Asian aisle of your neighborhood super market. You can also purchase them online – just do a Google search.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped - except for a few matchsticks for garnish
- ½ onion, chopped finely
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped finely - except for a few thinly sliced pieces for garnish
- 1 cup cooked chicken meat, chopped
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste (if you like it less spicy, just use 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 21 oz chicken broth (roughly 1.5 cans of Swansons brand)
- 13.5 oz can Asian coconut milk or cream (unsweetened)
- Optional: few sprigs of cilantro
- Note: Reserve some of the coconut milk, carrots, and red bell pepper (and cilantro) for optional garnish.
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat and cook the carrots, onions, and red bell pepper for approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, rice, brown sugar, curry paste, and fish sauce stirring and sauteing everything until curry paste is completely incorporated (approx. 2-3 minutes).
- Pour chicken broth and coconut milk into the pan and give it a good stir for a half minute. Reduce heat to medium and allow the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with a spoonful of coconut milk added on top with a few matchstick carrots and a slice of red bell pepper for garnish. Enjoy!
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pita bread says
I once made coconut soup and it was good but yours looks so much better. And the chicken in it seems like a great idea.
Gwena says
We’ve made this twice now and it’s a family favorite! It’s fabulous and the flavor is very authentic. I used light coconut milk, 4 tsp of both red curry paste and fish sauce. This will now be a winter staple around our house; I can’t wait to make it for company!
Cindy says
I wanted to thank you for this recipe; I made it last night and it was DELICIOUS! I subbed out the whole coconut milk for a light one I got from Trader Joe’s and added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and that gave it a nice burn; we love hot and spicy.
Thanks again…..I am enjoying your blog!
Megan Walker says
Alice, my husband came across this recipe last night on the Amazon Daily blog subscribed to on his Amazon Kindle. Although he loves everything I cook, he doesn’t really show that much interest in food. Your recipe was met with an “ooh, this looks really good”, so I bought the additional ingredients needed today and we just finished enjoying the best soup I think I have ever had! Thank you so much for sharing in the form of this blog. I have seen cooking sites before, but yours stands out due to the combination of amazing photos, well written content and fantastic recipes! Thanks for being so generous with your time and recipes. I have subscribed and can’t wait to go back through the archives and try some others!
Serena says
I have yet to attempt a soup like this. Thanks for the motivation!
seriouslysoupy.blogspot.com
Cindy says
Do you think the coconut milk that is sold at trader Joe’s would work, or is Asian Coconut Milk different?
Thanks…looks awesome!
Lauren says
This soup looks absolutely delectable. I will be making this soon!
Sonja @ ActiveFoodie says
I love curry!! I usually use yellow curry and I need to start experimenting with the other varieties. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
vegetarian glucosamine says
I like different soup. So thanks for this recipe. This looks delicious! Seems like. May have to give this a try sometime.
Gwena says
I can’t wait to try this; there’s not much I love more than curry! I only have one problem using curry sauce; I don’t make curry very much and when I open a can of curry paste the rest of it goes to waste. Can I freeze the remainder and save it for another time?
Georgia Pellegrini says
Coconut makes everything better. I love it in carrot soup. And curry also makes everything better. What a perfect combination in one soup.
Joan Nova says
sounds delicious and looks beautiful!
alice says
Brown Sugar: I haven’t used yellow curry before, just red, green, and masaram. I love red curry, it is a staple around here and masaram is really awesome too!
Kate: We make a less spicy version of this, puree it and my son loves it!
Brown sugar says
I’m not joking about what I said on your last post—where have you been all my life and thank you for finally appearing!! I am so into experimenting with foods, especially the ones you post on your site. They are right up my alley. Bless you, Alice! I’m excited to try this.
Do you find a huge difference between the red and yellow curry? I’ve only used yellow before.
Kate @ Savour Fare says
I’m always looking for excellent new baby food. This looks delicious. I love red curry paste from the very bottom of my heart.
Maria says
I posted soup today too. I can’t get enough! This is going on my list!
Amy from She Wears Many Hats says
This does look like the perfect thing to warm up with on a cold night. Can’t wait to try this one out.
Heidi Swift - Grit and Glimmer says
There may be nothing in this world that I love more than coconut curry. I’ve made it a few times in my life and every time is better than the one before. I really love the green curry paste as well.
Double bonus – coconut and curry both have great health benefits!
ThatsSoYummy says
This looks so perfect for the cold weather we are having… I’m drooling as I type 😉
-Natasha
Virginia bed and breakfast | Victorian inn bed and breakfast | Romantic bed and breakfasts says
This looks super delicious! I am in love with chicken curry but always buying the store I think you’ve just given me courage to try this on my own! You need a little more chili paste for that. Yet I’m sure it still tasty good. Well done! What a great start. Happy 2010!
Best Regards,
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Love ANYTHING made with coconut. How delicious!
Lori says
This looks amazing! I know exactly what I’m doing with that can of coconut milk I picked up a while back. The rice will make it nice and hearty for this cold weather we are having around here.
Dave -nibbleanibble says
Exactly what I’m craving for!
Lorraine says
Why didn’t you post this about two weeks ago when I was craving this exactly. Oh well I now have most of the ingredients. Will make soon. Thanks for sharing!