Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup (Meal Plan)

One of our favorite restaurants nearby is a little Thai restaurant, where the food is always fresh and delicious, and the service is attentive and friendly.

My personal favorite on the menu is Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo Shoots, but no matter what I order, I have to start with a bowl of their signature soup - either Tom Yum Gai (a chicken and lemongrass soup with mushrooms) or Tom Kha Gai which is similar but includes coconut milk.

I've never gotten around to trying to make either myself, and finally decided it was time - using shrimp instead of chicken because I happened to have some, but I will definitely be doing  this again with chicken for a cost effective and soul satisfying meal.  And just as a side note - the lemony ginger broth makes for an amazing cold treatment when you've got a stuffy head.

For this time, I served the soup over some steamed rice - this is entirely optional!  We rarely eat grains, but I was in the mood for some rice, and wanted a more substantial dish.  If you're having the soup alone, you probably want something else on the side, like a good salad, to round things out.

Note: I originally labeled this Shrimp Tom Kha Gai Soup. I got an immediate and welcome correction - Tom Kha Gai is chicken. Gai = Chicken.  Since this uses Shrimp, it's Tom Kha Goong.  And, after a bit of further exploration, I think purists may also say it isn't that either, because Kha = galagel, and I'm not using any here.

So.. let's just call it Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup - no matter what the name, it's delicious!

Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup

20 ounce chicken or fish broth (I used homemade chicken broth)
1 can whole coconut milk
1" fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 stalk of lemongrass, out portion peeled, inner finely diced
1 T. lime juice
1 T. fish sauce
1 T. Thai chile sauce (or more, to taste)
1 lb. shrimp, thawed and shelled
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and thin sliced longwise
1/2 cup combined chopped fresh basil and cilantro

In a soup pot, combine broth, ginger and lemongrass and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer, add coconut milk and blend well. Stir in lime juice, fish sauce and Thai chile sauce. Add shrimp, mushrooms, and jalapeno slices, and let simmer until vegetables are tender and shrimp is cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes.

To serve, put 1/2 cup of rice in a bowl (if using), and ladle soup over the top.  Sprinkle with a handful of fresh basil and cilantro.  If desired, a bit of Siracha will add some heat to the bowl.

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This week's produce haul is quite nice! In our weekly box, we got some rainbow chard and kale, a head of cabbage, some more basil, a head of Romaine lettuce, a cucumber, a pint of blueberries and some peaches.  Additionally, I ordered some zucchini, broccoli, sweet potatoes, an onion, a couple oranges and a lemon, some bananas, kiwi and a watermelon.  I think we'll be eating well this week!

Here's the plan:

Thursday July 3

Curried Ground Turkey and Potatoes

Broccoli

Zucchini Noodles

Pre-prep:

Hard cook eggs for tomorrow.  Reserve a couple for the main dish salad later in the week.

Friday July 4 

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Bratwursts

Cole Slaw

Deviled Eggs

Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil

No-Bake Cheesecake Parfaits with Blueberries & Strawberries

Saturday July 5

Breakfast Dinner:

No Grain Blueberry Waffles

Bacon or Sausage

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Pre-prep:

Roast Beets for Salad tomorrow

Take down brisket for Monday

Sunday July 6

 Spending Day in BALTIMORE

Main Dish Salad

Or Eat Out

(if eating out, push everything back a day)

Pre-Prep:

put together sauce and brisket for tomorrow.

Monday July 7 

Doctor Appointments

Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket and Onions

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Greens

Roasted Peaches &  Thickened Yogurt for Dessert

Tuesday July 8

TRIVIA NIGHT
Leftovers or Eating Out

Wednesday July 9 

Michael home late

Kielbasa and Veggie Stir-Fry

(open ended - use up any produce that needs to be cooked)

What are your meal plans for this week? Are you doing anything special this weekend?  I'd love to hear in comments - the more ideas, the merrier!

Crafting Along

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